Tropical systems don’t usually form in Mediterranean Storm developed eye wall like a hurricane, NOAA says A “rare tropical-like storm” grew in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea last week and even developed an eye wall like a hurricane, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The storm, named Numa by the Free University of Berlin’s Institute of Meteorology, had both tropical and subtropical characteristics, making it a hybrid storm. Tropical systems usually can’t get going in the Mediterranean because the sea is fairly shallow and there isn’t a lot of open water for storms to build up strength. Though these storms are often called “medicanes,” few actually reach hurricane strength, Bob Henson, a meteorologist at forecaster Weather Underground, wrote in a blog post . But their low pressure allows them to take on tropical characteristics like a symmetrical structure and a small core of warm air, Henson said. […]