Mediterranean Topography

Winds within the Mediterranean region are affected by mountainous terrain (white shading) surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. These mountains can funnel the wind flow into the Basin, often creating higher wind speeds that can reach gale or storm force strengths. The map below displays the important mountain ranges (labelled in yellow) which play a key role in channeling the MEDEX gale-force wind types.

Levante (easterly winds) and Westerly (westerly winds) flow through the Strait of Gibraltar and are channeled between the Sierra Nevada Mountains in southern Spain and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Mistrals (northwest winds) flow into the Mediterranean Sea from the south coast of France and are channeled through the gaps between the Pyrenees Mountains, the Massif Central and the Alps. Bora--Adriatic Sea (north-northeast winds) flow into the Adriatic Sea and are channeled through gaps within the Dinaric Alps. Bora--Aegean Sea (north-northeast winds) flow into the Aegean Sea and are channeled through the Rhodope Mountains, the complex mountainous topography in Turkey and the Pindus Mountains in Greece. Sirocco (southerly winds) flow into south central and southeastern Mediterranean Sea from the desert regions between Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Siroccos are the only winds not channeled by mountainous topography.