‘Particularly hot’ August seen in Cyprus says Met office

The heat in Cyprus this summer was underlined by the Met Office on Wednesday which said the particularly hot month saw record high temperatures and record high minimum temperatures in the mountains

A record temperature was also recorded in Prodromos, of 38.4C, up from a previous record of 37C.

August 2023 was classified as the warmest ever recorded in Paphos, where the average daily temperatures were 2.5 degrees higher than normal.

Similarly, at the Larnaca station, the average daily minimum temperature was 2.3 degrees higher than normal.

“The general conclusion is that August 2023 was one of the island’s warmest Augusts, during which several temperature records have either been re-recorded or broken, especially in mountainous areas and minimum average temperatures in coastal areas,” the report said.

Temperatures stayed higher for longer in August, especially in mountainous areas, where the meteorological station in Prodromos recorded temperatures above 31C on 14 of the 31 days of the month.

For the specific station this was the fourth hottest August recorded, with the top spot held by the summer of 2010 when the temperature was at a yellow warning level for 18 days.

For the first time since 2010, a maximum temperature of 31C was recorded in the same area for eight consecutive days, and of over 33C for six consecutive days, on four of which the thermometer hit 35C, which corresponds to a red warning level.

This broke the record of August 2010 where three consecutive days of temperatures above 35C were logged.

As for temperature averages, this was the second warmest August ever recorded for this station. It also saw the highest ever minimum temperature of 29.5C.

In Nicosia, the office’s Athalassa station recorded temperatures of 40C or above on nine days, fewer than August 2020 and 2021, when a total of 16 days in that temperature range were logged.

Two consecutive days of temperatures over 42C were recorded, as well as one with a temperature over 44C, again equivalent to a red weather warning.

“Never before have more days been recorded with a daily maximum temperature ranging into these danger levels,” the met office said.

During August this year, the second highest temperature ever was recorded at the Athalassa station, of 45.3C. August 2010 holds the record for the highest temperature ever recorded at this station, at 45.6C.

Finally the met office commented on the “impressive” rainfall of August 28, which with its nocturnal storm activity is a rare phenomenon for this time of year and was last recorded in August 1999.