Newsroom
Well… it finally happened.
We’ve been waiting for real rain, an honest-to-God storm, and the weather gods did not disappoint. Over the weekend, Cyprus got drenched, flooded, and occasionally entertained, as torrential downpours turned roads into rivers and rivers into full-on waterfalls that had half the island running to Instagram.
Heavy rain hammered the Polis Chrysochous area the hardest, where streets filled up fast and basements took on water like they were auditioning to become indoor pools. The Latsi–Polis Chrysochous road shut down Sunday after water pooled so deeply it looked more like a shallow lake than a highway. It reopened a few hours later, but not before drivers posted the obligatory “you won’t believe this” videos.
More flooding cropped up on Mariou–Arsinois Avenue, where crews spent hours clearing water and debris. Trees gave up the fight in several spots, toppled by the relentless rain that carried on through the night across the Paphos district and into Monday.
Polis Chrysochous Mayor Giotis Papachristofi said he and municipal staff were out from the very beginning, checking flooded areas and coordinating cleanup. “Most of the problems have already been addressed to a large extent,” he told CNA, crediting what he called a “collective effort”, including a few locals who rolled up with their own excavators to help out.
Municipal crews are still working to restore normalcy and protect homes, the mayor said, adding that the town remains on alert in case more rain decides to gatecrash the week.
Even the Fire Department partially recalled personnel on Sunday to deal with the mess.
But amid the headaches came a little unexpected beauty. The intense rainfall brought rivers back to life and set seasonal waterfalls flowing, a sight rarely seen this time of year. One of the stars of the weekend was the waterfall of Agios Neophytos, which reappeared on Sunday after three days of steady rain. It’s a phenomenon that used to show up more often in very wet years, but this time it caught many by surprise, including the faithful who arrived at the Holy Monastery of Agios Neophytos for their Sunday pilgrimage and ended up with an unexpected nature show.
For context, the male Basilica and Stavropegic Monastery of Saint Neophytos, also known as the Monastery of Enkleistra, was founded by the ascetic Saint Neophytos, who carved his enclosed sanctuary into the rock at the end of the 12th century. Seeing a waterfall roaring beside this historic site doesn’t happen every winter… but when it does, it’s something special.
So yes, the weekend brought chaos, mud, and a few unlucky flooded basements. But it also delivered a Cyprus rarity: waterfalls worth the hype.
And honestly? After months of waiting for weather that felt like weather… it was kind of nice to see the gods put on a show.
