The storm system that brought severe flooding to Libya began more than a week ago as Storm Daniel over Greece.
Having brought record amounts of rain over a few days and widespread flooding to parts of eastern Greece, it slowly moved south over the Mediterranean.
With sea temperatures in the eastern Mediterranean above normal for the time of year, the storm system regained strength and added moisture before barrelling into the Libyan coast. It briefly became what meteorologists term a “medicane”
Impacts include rough seas, wind gusts reportedly of over 50mph and over a years worth of rain for some.
In the 24 hours between 08:00 Sunday and 08:00 Monday, Omar Al-Mukhtar University in Bayda recorded 414mm of rain, and the north-eastern town of Marawa received 240mm.
To put that in perspective, nearby Benghazi has an annual average of 270mm.