March 29th, 2024

Gale force winds hit Cyprus hard

Weather officials warn gale force winds and thunderstorms that have hit hard Cyprus on Thursday evening are expected to continue Friday morning.

Trees were uprooted and objects were sent flying, as freak storms hit the coastal areas hard, causing mayhem, flash flooding, and treacherous driving conditions.

Firefighters were being flooded with calls as soon as torrential rain came in and winds picked up in Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca and Famagusta districts, making highway conditions particularly dangerous, especially around the Konia-Kouklia stretch of the Paphos-Limassol highway.

Police issued a warning to drivers to be very careful on the road, maintain low speeds and keep headlights turned on due to low visibility.

There were reports of minor damages in Paphos, such as parts of sheds coming off and glass windows shuttering.

Many areas are also experiencing severe thunderstorms and lightning.

Speaking to the Cyprus Weekly, Meteorological Services officer Panayiotis Mouskos said: “The period of extreme weather, including rain, storms and strong winds from Thursday night are expected to continue on Friday morning before conditions improve.”

Although weather conditions are expected to improve, low pressure coming in from the Aegean could see temperatures drop from 19°C to around 17°C inland and on the coasts and 6°C in the mountains.

The rain is particularly welcome as dam water levels have reached just 33.9% of their capacity, 2.908 million cubic metres of water. Dam storage levels have been falling as rainfall between October and December 30 dropped to just half of the usual average. December was particularly dry with just one third of the usual average rainfall putting in an appearance.

Source: Cyprus Weekly