Warning over devastating 'medicane' storms which could become more frequent (Image: Getty Images)

       The devastating floods that killed thousands of people in Libya this week followed a “medicane”, a rare but destructive weather phenomenon that will intensify in a warming world, believed the scientists.

       Medicane is an amalgamation of the words Mediterranean and hurricane.

       Scientists and weather forecasters use the term and is not very common among the general public.

       Medicanes, which tend to form over parts of the Mediterranean Sea near the North African coast, are similar to hurricanes and typhoons although they can develop over cooler waters.

       They can also bear a physical resemblance on satellite imagery as a swirling mass of storm clouds surrounding an eye in the middle.

       READ MORE Inside the devastating Libya floods which wiped out a city and left 5,300 dead

       The flash flood that has killed thousands of people in Libya this week followed a “medicane” (Image: Getty Images)

       Fierce winds and rain are unleashed; Storm Daniel dumped approximately 170 millimetres of rain in Libya. This will intensify with global warming, scientists said, reported The Guardian.

       University of Reading professor Liz Stephens said: “We are confident that climate change is supercharging the rainfall associated with such storms."

       The Mediterranean cyclones are usually smaller and weaker than their tropical equivalents and have a smaller space in which to develop.

       Don't miss...

       Indian summer to return with balmy 28C after UK is battered by rain [WEATHER MAPS]

       Steve Barclay swerves Brexit question in brutal Nick Ferrari takedown [POLITICS]

       UK town with a 'desolate' high street after council 'shuts shops overnight' [SPOTLIGHT]

       Medicanes form once or twice per year on average, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

       While hurricanes move from east to west, medicanes tend to go from west to east.

       Before striking Libya, Daniel pummelled Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey last week.

       SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

       We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

       SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

       We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

       SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

       Trending

       Before striking Libya, Daniel pummelled Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey last week. (Image: Getty Images)

       Medicanes such as storm Daniel are most frequent in the autumn but can be observed throughout the winter.

       They develop when cold air from temperate latitudes pushes towards the equator, forming what's known as a cut-off low — or cold drop — in the upper air flow.

       The low-pressure system that became storm Daniel was one such isolated cold drop.

       Meanwhile, the death toll following the flooding in Libya has reached around 11,000, the Red Crescent in Derna says. Some 20,000 people have been reported as missing, it says, as workers continue to recover bodies.

       Related articles Britons stranded on Greek island as flash floods close roads Unbelievable moment red wine ‘floods’ streets after two tanks exploded at winery Storm Daniel sees 2,000 killed as two dams collapse in Libya flooding torrent Chaos as 75 crocodiles on the loose in China after floods destroy farm Libya floods leaves 10,000 dead with thousands more missing