Deadly storms have hit central parts of the Mediterranean Sea after an intense area of low pressure developed into a medicane.

The term medicane - Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone - is a nickname for systems in this area that gain some characteristics of Atlantic subtropical or even tropical cyclones.

This latest one has been named Storm Numa by the University of Berlin. However, the National Observatory of Athens refer to the system as Zeno.

Flooding rains have already left 19 people dead in Greece and three people are still missing. This is now country's deadliest weather event since 1977.

The medicane is currently making its way across the Ionian Sea and it is expected to bring increasingly strong winds across the region.

Winds were forecast to strengthen from gales or severe gales into hurricane force winds as Storm Numa drifted towards the southern part of the island of Corfu. There has inevitably been further heavy downpours across parts of flood-ravaged western Greece.

Italy and the Balkans have had their share of flooding rains, along with some snow, from this system which has affected the region for over a week.

The worst of the weather is expected to finally clear away by Monday. It is expected to weaken steadily but not before bringing heavy rain across Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean.