Cyprus under orange heat warning, highs of 43°C expected

The Weather Service upgraded its heat warning from yellow to orange on Tuesday, signaling a significant rise in temperatures over the coming days. The orange warning will be in effect from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, with temperatures projected to soar to around 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in the interior regions and approximately 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) in the higher highlands.

A hot air mass will impact the region through Friday, bringing periods of diluted dust in the atmosphere. On Wednesday, the weather will be mostly clear and extremely warm. Winds will blow from the northwest to northeast and locally from the southeast to southwest at 3 Beaufort, with occasional moderate gusts up to 4 Beaufort in the afternoon. The sea will be calm to slightly turbulent. Temperatures will reach around 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in the interior, about 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on the south and east coasts, around 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) on the north coast, and approximately 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) on the west coast and in the higher mountains.

Wednesday night, the weather will remain mostly clear. Winds will be primarily katabatic, weak at 3 Beaufort, occasionally strengthening to 4 Beaufort locally. The sea will stay calm to slightly turbulent. Temperatures will drop to around 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) in the interior, around 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) along the coast, and about 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) in the higher mountains.

The weather will continue to be mostly clear and warm on Thursday and Friday, although in the afternoon there will be increased cloud cover in the mountains. On Saturday, mostly clear skies will persist, with occasional clouds that could bring isolated showers in the afternoon, mainly in the mountains and interior regions.

Temperatures are expected to remain significantly above average through Friday. A slight drop is anticipated on Saturday.

[Information sourced from Cyprus Met Service]