Severe weather alert issued for Cyprus

A yellow warning has been issued for Cyprus as rain and stormy weather late night Sunday are expected to intensify after midnight.

The Cyprus Meteorology Department issued a yellow alert effective Sunday night at 10pm through Monday afternoon at 4pm, saying rain and isolated thunderstorms were expected to affect the area with rain accumulation locally likely to exceed 50 millimeters in a six-hour period.

A low pressure system is affecting the area over the island through the next couple of days, with Sunday skies remaining mostly cloudy with high chances of showers and isolated thunderstorms.

Snow is expected to fall overnight in the higher elevations while on and off storms are expected to increase and intensify after midnight.

Temperature lows will drop to 7 degrees Celsius in the interior, around 11 on the west coast, 10 in all other coastal regions, while it will be 0 (zero) in the higher elevations where frost is also expected to form.

Police warned drivers of low visibility conditions on the highways, while the Cyprus News Agency reported Sunday evening that water had accumulated in parts of the Paphos-Limassol motorway in both directions.

Monday skies will remain mostly cloudy with showers and isolated thunderstorms still in the morning forecast, along with snow in Troodos and strong winds throughout the day.

Maximum highs will reach 16 degrees both inland and along the coast, while it will be around 4 degrees in the mountains. Temperatures are expected to climb gradually on Tuesday, with levels reaching just slightly above normal averages for this time of the year.

Chances of snow will decrease just before midweek while high chances of sleet and possibly light snow will continue, with weather expected to get colder on Thursday.