The Engine of Mediterranean Torrential Rains: Sea and Scale

Mediterranean torrential rainfall often evokes images of the devastation caused by sudden floods. Beyond the immediate impacts, understanding the underlying atmospheric and oceanic mechanisms is essential for predicting these extreme events (1). Over the past few decades, research has shown how Mediterranean mesoscale circulations, Sea Surface Temperature (SST), and Total Precipitable Water (TPW) interact like a finely tuned engine to generate intense precipitation over complex Mediterranean coastal terrains (1–4).