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A yellow warning has been issued for Cyprus due to very strong winds expected to make landfall on Monday, with chances of showers and thunderstorms throughout Sunday night expected to intensify over the next 24-hour period.
(Click here for an update to the story)
Weather officials have issued a wind warning effective Monday morning at 8am through the late evening at 9pm, citing near gale to gale southerly to southwesterly winds. Wind speeds are expected to reach between 7 and 8 points on the Beaufort scale, mainly along the south and out west.
Monday winds are expected to reach near gale to gale force, while showers and local storms starting mainly in the south and out west will spread later in other parts of the island
A flood watch will also go into effect from Monday morning at 10am through Tuesday 12 noon, due to rain likely to exceed 35 millimeters per hour during severe thunderstorms, mainly over local areas in the north, out west, and in the mountains.
Due to severe weather throughout the eastern Mediterranean, the weather service director and additional meteorology administrative staff have been called in on Monday, a public holiday in the Republic of Cyprus known as Feast of the Epiphany, to be on standby and help coordinate with local officials as weather phenomena are expected to shift rather quickly.
Earlier in the week, water dams and reservoirs began overflowing or were nearly full. Rough ocean waves caused flooding in coastal areas in Limassol and Paphos, while on the other side of the Mediterranean, waves and high wind speeds prevented ships from entering or leaving ports in Egypt.
Monday winds are expected to reach near gale to gale force, while skies will remain mostly cloudy with showers and local storms starting mainly in the south and out west and later spreading in other parts of the island.
Temperature highs will range in the mid-teens inland and along the coast, while it will be 6 degrees in the mountains where frost continues to form.
Snow and sleet continue to fall high up in the Troodos mountains. Weather is expected to start improving gradually on Wednesday while temperatures will drop slightly. The last measurement of the Troodos Square snow gauge was 20 inches, as recorded at 4pm on Sunday.
Story updated with additional information about a flood warning in the area
