Summer temperatures set to linger as storm brews

As the island braces for a thunderstorm on Monday night, followed by scattered showers on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the summer is not bidding farewell, the Met office said.

For the last month, the island has experienced temperatures consistently surpassing the seasonal average, Meteorological Department officer Michalis Mouskos said on Monday.

“In the past days, we had peaks of 28 to 30 degrees, and the upcoming showers will lower the temperatures,” he told the Cyprus Mail.

“However, they will remain around 25 degrees, still above the average for November. So, despite the anticipated precipitation, the mercury is set to hover comfortably above the typical November temperatures,” he added.

The pressing concern, as Mouskos emphasised, is the lack of rain this November.

“We have had zero rain this month so far, and from data we have analysed, we will still only have 50 per cent of precipitation levels compared to the average for the remaining days of November, as well as for December,” he said.

The scarcity of rainfall poses potential challenges for the region, hinting at a prolonged dry spell.

Delving into the broader climate trends, Mouskos expressed his unease about the escalating heat in Cyprus, attributing it, in significant part, to climate change.

“However, this notion will need to be examined and studied further. We would need to analyse at least 30 years of climate change to come up with certain answers,” he said, underlining the complexity of understanding the evolving climate patterns.

He also shed light on the island’s characteristic weather shifts.

“This is Cyprus. I mean, the weather changes rapidly in this area. We call this a transitional period, which is basically our autumns and spring, when temperatures rise and drop in a matter of days,” Mouskos concluded.