Cyprus has entered a prolonged rainfall pattern with no signs of substantial improvement in the coming days, meteorological officer Andreas Chrysanthou told the Cyprus News Agency, warning that the country may experience another rainy period as Christmas approaches.
Chrysanthou said today would bring significant and prolonged phenomena, mainly affecting eastern areas, with locally intense rain.
A low pressure system southeast of the island continues to feed the territory with rain and isolated storms, with conditions improving from late afternoon, he explained. The phenomena will restrict gradually, persisting mainly in eastern Cyprus tonight.
Thursday will bring more improved weather, though local rain and isolated storms cannot be ruled out, without today’s intensity, he said.
From Friday a milder scenario appears to prevail, with almost no phenomena on Saturday, whilst Sunday will bring renewed rain, more intense than the weekend but not at today’s level, according to Chrysanthou.
Monday brings back more significant rainfall, and the pattern may continue into Tuesday, with Chrysanthou emphasising that no “prolonged summer-like period” is expected within the next five days.
Regarding how the rainfall fits into Cyprus’s long-term climate trends, Chrysanthou noted that seasonal forecasts place rainfall between 50% and 75% of the hydrological year.
The island currently stands at 43%, with December – one of the rainiest months alongside January and February – showing it will contribute decisively, he said.
The country may move to the limits of this year’s seasonal forecasts, as happened last year, he added, noting that the picture so far is “encouraging”.
In just three to four days, Cyprus has received almost half of December’s normal rainfall, which he described as “very significant”.
Asked whether the rainfall is considered meteorologically beneficial, Chrysanthou said the precipitation is “very fruitful and significant”, enriching the aquifer.
Regarding dam inflows, he said it will be necessary to await completion of this week’s phenomena, as stronger rains are required, which the country is already receiving.
Asked how rainy the scenario will be during Christmas, Chrysanthou stressed it is still too early for safe forecasts.
However, he said the first, very distant picture shows a “good Christmas”, with the possibility that the holiday days will be accompanied by renewed rain, which aligns with the general trend of December.
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