Emergency services in Italy and Greece were on high alert on Friday bracing for a powerful cyclone that was expected to bring gale-force winds and torrential rain to the eastern Mediterranean this weekend.

Greece was already feeling the impact of thunderstorms and high winds ahead of a small but intense cyclone known as a “Medicane” which is rarely seen in the Mediterranean.

Meteorologists said the weather system was expected to strike the southern coasts of Sicily and Calabria before moving eastward across the Aegean and Ionian Seas to Greece where it could bring winds of up to 160 kmh (100 mph) and waves as high as 12 metres (39 feet).

Schools in Athens and several other parts of the country were closed Friday, as heavy storms swept across the mainland and islands on Thursday.

Some ferry services from ports near the Greek capital resumed after being mostly halted for the previous two days, while the poor weather conditions also caused flight delays.