Storm Daniel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Storm Daniel

Storm Daniel over the Mediterranean on 9 September 2023
Meteorological history
Formed	4 September 2023
Dissipated	12 September 2023
Unknown strength tropical cyclone
10-minute sustained (EUMETSAT)
Highest winds	85 km/h (50 mph)
Overall effects
Fatalities	11,327+ (confirmed) 18,000–20,000 (estimated)
Injuries	7,000+
Missing	10,000–100,000+ (estimated)
Damage	>€2,000,000,000 (US$2.14 billion in 2023)
Areas affected	Libya, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Israel
Part of the 2022–23 European windstorm season

Storm Daniel, also known as Cyclone Daniel, was the deadliest and costliest Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone ever recorded as well as the deadliest cyclone worldwide since Cyclone Nargis in 2008. It was also the deadliest weather event of 2023 to date. Forming as a low-pressure system around 4 September 2023, the storm affected Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey with extensive flooding. The storm then organized as a Mediterranean low and was designated as Storm Daniel. It soon acquired quasi-tropical characteristics and moved toward the coast of Libya, where it caused catastrophic flooding before degenerating into a remnant low. The storm was the result of an omega block, as a high-pressure zone became sandwiched between two zones of low pressure, with the isobars shaping like the Greek letter Ω.

In Greece, the storm was considered the worst in recorded history, with severe rainfall leading to flooding that caused more than 2 billion euros in damage. Libya was hit the hardest, with torrential rains causing two dams near the city of Derna to fail. This resulted in thousands of deaths, with between 10,000 and 100,000 people missing, although exact figures varied by source. Libya's vulnerability to such disasters was blamed on its civil war, which damaged critical infrastructure and left it in poor condition before Daniel. In the aftermath, several countries along the Mediterranean Sea pledged to provide aid to affected countries.

Meteorological history

An area of low pressure developed over the Ionian Sea with its surface temperature within the range of tropical transition. On 4 September 2023 it moved southwards over the Balkan Peninsula which led to torrential rains, notably over the Thessaly region. The system became a mediterranean cyclone over the Ionian Sea the following day, and was named Storm Daniel by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service. During the following days, the system moved southeastward, peaking as a subtropical storm with winds recorded by instruments on Metop at 45 knots (83 km/h; 52 mph).

The storm then made landfall near the city of Benghazi in Libya. On 10 September 2023, Daniel went east and continued inland before degenerating into a remnant low due to dry air and land interaction later on, with the storm fully dissipating by 12 September 2023.

Impact

See also

In Spanish: Tormenta Daniel para niños

• Weather of 2023
• Tropical cyclones in 2023