Potential vorticity patterns in Mediterranean “hurricanes”

The potential vorticity (PV) anomalies due to the intrusion of dry stratospheric air and those generated by the tropospheric diabatic latent heating are qualitatively analyzed for five Mediterranean tropical‐like cyclones (also known as Medicanes). Model simulations show the presence of an upper level PV streamer in the early stages of the cyclone, located on the left exit of a jet stream, and a middle‐low level PV anomaly generated by the convection developing around the low‐level vortex. In the mature stage, the upper level PV anomaly around the cyclone evolves differently for each case and appears somehow dependent on the lifetime. Only for the 2006 Medicane, the PV anomalies form an intense PV tower extending continuously from the lower troposphere to the lower stratosphere. Key Points Lower and upper PV anomalies are analyzed for five “Mediterranean hurricanes” Only in one case the mature stage of the cyclone presents an intense fully developed PV tower An upper level PV streamer is located on the left exit of a jet stream in all cases