August 2026 was the wettest August recorded in Cyprus in more than a century, with average rainfall reaching more than ten times the normal level for the month, the Met Office said on Wednesday. 

Average rainfall across the government-controlled areas reached 30mm, compared with the normal August average of just 2.9mm, equivalent to 1,034 per cent of the monthly norm.

According to the Met Office, this was the highest average August rainfall in the available historical record, which stretches back to 1902.

The previous record was 20.6mm, recorded in 1971, meaning this year’s total exceeded the previous high by 9.4mm, or around 46 per cent.

The exceptional figure was largely driven by severe weather during the final days of the month, particularly on August 29.

Between August 28 and 30, average rainfall across the government-controlled areas was estimated at 22.5mm, with the vast majority falling on August 29. In some areas, rainfall totals during the three-day period reached between 50mm and 75mm.

The rainfall was also geographically widespread, affecting a significant part of the island rather than being confined to isolated areas.

The Met Office attributed the intensity and extent of the weather to an unusually favourable combination of atmospheric conditions.

A weak low-pressure system south of Cyprus, combined with a disturbance in the upper atmosphere, caused air masses to converge in the lower levels of the atmosphere.

This forced warm, humid air upwards, while the upper-level disturbance further strengthened rising air movements and atmospheric instability, creating favourable conditions for the development and persistence of organised thunderstorms.

The combination resulted not only in heavy rainfall but also hail, strong wind gusts and waterspouts in coastal areas.

The Met Office said the historical data demonstrated just how unusual this August had been.

Between 1902 and 2025, 30 of the 124 Augusts recorded no average rainfall at all, meaning almost one in four were completely dry. Only seven Augusts before 2026 recorded more than 10mm.

It cautioned, however, that while completely dry Augusts have occurred less frequently in recent decades, this alone was not sufficient to establish a climatic trend without specific statistical analysis.

“August 2026 constitutes a historical exception for Cyprus,” the Met Office said, adding that the August 29 episode demonstrated the potential for rare but particularly widespread summer rainfall events on the island.