Newsroom
During the first month of 2020, Nicosia saw 169 per cent of the average January rainfall levels, the Met Department showed on Wednesday.
Average rainfall levels for the period are 48mm, though in just the first 29 days of January, a total of 80.9mm of rainfall swept over the capital.
Comparatively, Limassol rainfall amounted to 142 per cent of mean January levels, as it saw 136mm of rain compared to the average of 96mm.
The area of Platania at the island’s higher altitudes enjoyed the most rain this month, recoding a sum of 352.8mm, or 187 per cent compared to the average figure of 188.9mm of rain the area is accustomed to.
Meanwhile, December saw some striking meteorological events as well, including strong rains and winds, hail, and snowfall, the Press and Information Office said on Wednesday.
In December, temperatures were one degree Celsius higher than the average mark, while the month saw 194 per cent of the mean rainfall levels. The highest recorded temperature was on December 20, when the Athalassa station recorded 24.8 degrees Celsius, the highest to be recorded for the period at the station since 1983.
According to the PIO, on December 11 and 12, heavy rainfall brought serious damage to the Limassol, Larnaca, and Famagust districts. Analysis of the rainfall conducted automatically at the Avdimou weather station showed that the rain fell with an intensity of 20.4mm in 5 minutes and 30mm in 10 minutes, an intensity that had not been recorded since 1975, when the specific station was first created.
