Cyprus’s summer showers are a normal seasonal phenomenon and are not connected to climate change, Department of Meteorology officer Andreas Chrysanthou said on Saturday, adding that this summer is expected to be hot and dry with no significant departures from previous years.
Based on Department of Meteorology studies and the island’s climatology, atmospheric instability at this time of year is very common, particularly in mountain areas and inland, Chrysanthou said. “It is a common phenomenon, these summer showers, particularly in mountain areas,” he said. Such conditions occur almost every summer and statistically persist until mid-July, he added.
From mid-July to mid-August — the hottest period of the year — reduced atmospheric moisture limits instability. From Wednesday of the coming week, Chrysanthou said, instability is expected to recede and weather will be mainly clear.
June closing warmer than average
June is closing with temperatures slightly above seasonal averages, Chrysanthou said. The seasonal norm for inland areas is 33–34°C, but June is set to close with an average of around 37°C in those areas. The first half of the month was notably cool, with the second half warmer than the seasonal norm — a trend set to continue through the end of June. “Not something extreme. We are two to four degrees above average in some cases,” he said. “It is closing as a very cool June, with several summer showers in our mountain areas.”
He noted that the pattern follows a very good year that began in December 2025, with strong rainfall making it a good hydrological year. The increased soil moisture resulting from that rainfall is a restraining factor both for the outbreak and spread of fires, Chrysanthou said.
40°C possible in inland areas from mid-July
From mid-July to mid-August, temperatures are expected to reach 40°C again, and may exceed that threshold in inland areas. “There are no indications we will see anything different,” Chrysanthou said.
Weekend to Wednesday: showers inland, rising temperatures
Some instability will remain over the weekend and through Tuesday, with mostly clear skies and passing clouds across most of the island, Chrysanthou said. Showers and possible thunderstorms are expected in some inland areas and mountains on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures on Saturday will be around 33°C inland, rising gradually from Sunday to 35–37°C through Tuesday. From Wednesday, instability is expected to recede with mainly clear weather to follow.
Asked to specify which inland areas are most affected, Chrysanthou said the references to inland areas concern the Mesaoria valley. “The areas in the Mesaoria valley very easily develop instability because a uniform, flat surface heats the lower atmospheric layers uniformly, creating this violent development of clouds and thunderstorms,” he said.
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