Severe storms cause damage across Cyprus

Severe storms that hit Cyprus around noon on Saturday caused damage in several parts of the island, bringing down trees, disrupting roads and damaging photovoltaic installations and greenhouses.

Strovolos mayor Stavros Stavrinidis reported several incidents involving fallen branches and warned that they could pose a risk to residents and motorists. He said the municipality was monitoring the situation and remained on full alert for weather-related emergencies.

“The municipality’s crews are on standby to deal with the problems,” he said, urging residents to call 99643044 to report any further incidents.

The Larnaca district government (EOA) said municipalities in the district remained on alert as severe weather conditions persisted.

According to the EOA, heavy rain and strong winds resulted in two trees falling, one in Drosia and another on the road connecting Athienou and Lympia.

EOA president Angelos Hadjicharalambous said the tree in Drosia had since been removed by Larnaca municipality and added that the fire service remained on full alert in case of further incidents.

Aradippou mayor Christodoulos Partos said power outages had been reported in several areas of the town and that municipal crews were ready to respond to any incidents.

Polis Chrysochous mayor Yiotis Papachristofis said the storms had damaged greenhouses and photovoltaic installations, as well as sunbeds and umbrellas on beaches in Pomos, Argaka and Ayia Marina, which were hit by strong winds.

Meanwhile, fire service spokesman Andreas Kettis said lightning struck a wooden electricity pylon in a fenced area in Kokkinotrimithia, sparking a fire.

“We are attempting to extinguish the fire with five staffed fire trucks,” he said in a post on X.

The weather also caused problems on the roads, with the section beneath the Aleppiana bridge near Nicosia temporarily closed due to water accumulating on the roadway. It has since reopened.

Police warned that water had accumulated on various sections of the highway and that debris, including branches, had built up on the road, urging drivers to exercise particular caution.

Motorists were also advised to take extra care on mountain roads, including those connecting Yerakies and Kykkos, Orkontas and Kampos, Kampos and Hadjoupas, and Pyrgos, where landslides had left stones and soil on the road surface.

The electricity authority (EAC) had recorded a total of 40 medium-voltage faults and several low-voltage faults by midday, causing power outages in areas across the island.

EAC spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou said the faults were caused by intense lightning and strong winds, which brought tree branches down onto electricity cables.

She explained that when branches or other objects fell onto cables, the network’s self-protection systems were triggered, cutting the power.

EAC crews then had to inspect affected sections of the network one by one to ensure they posed no danger before electricity could be restored, she said.

Regarding reports of sparks coming from cables, Papadopoulou said these occurred when branches came into contact with cables or caused cables to come into contact with one another.

In the Nicosia district, affected areas included Anayia, Engomi, Ayios Konstantinos, Ayios Omologites, Pigenia and Pano Pyrgos Tillyrias.

In Limassol, faults affected 15 areas, including Ayios Ambrosios, Ayios Therapontos, Alassa, Asgata, Asomatos, Eptagonia, Kellaki, Pano Kivides, Koilani, Monagrouli, Parekklisia, Pera Pedi, Pyrgos, Souni and Trachoni.

Power disruptions in the Famagusta district were limited to Avgorou.

In Larnaca, six areas were affected, including Ayios Nikolaos and the communities of Melini, Meneou, Odou, Ora and Pervolia.

In Paphos, disruptions were reported in Pano Akourdalia, Amargeti, Argaka, Kato Yialia, Letymbou, Lysos, Nikokleia, Skoulli and Drymou.

Papadopoulou said all EAC crews across Cyprus were on standby and urged the public to contact the authority’s call centre on 1800 only in emergencies, such as fires involving electricity poles, uprooted poles or other incidents that could endanger lives.

She also recommended downloading the EAC mobile application, which allows users to track power outages by district and view estimated restoration times.