Heavy storms continue to pound Cyprus

Cyprus remains under a storm watch with heavy thunderstorms and strong winds expected to pound local areas as days of severe weather and floods continue.

Weather officials issued a yellow warning effective Thursday from 6am through 6pm, citing isolated heavy thunderstorms with rain intensity exceeding 35 millimeters per hour. Hailstorms are also expected to affect parts of the island at any given time during the warning, weather officials said.

Thursday skies will be mostly cloudy with local showers and isolated thunderstorms, while hail is expected during heavy thunderstorms.

Officials have warned that in some cases hailstorms are expected to be intense, while strong winds measuring 5 and 6 points on the Beaufort scale could reach 7 later in the day.

A low reading in barometric pressure has been reported south of the island, as heavy storms and strong winds have been approaching Cyprus. Reports earlier this week indicated an unstable air mass combined with low pressure was affecting the eastern Mediterranean.

Maximum highs are expected to reach 21° degrees Celsius inland, around 23 along the coast, while it will be 11 up in the mountains. Minimum lows will register at 18 degrees in the interior, around 21 in coastal regions, while it will be 10 up in the mountains.

This week’s severe weather pattern is expected to subside on Friday while both periods of rain and sunshine are expected on Saturday.

A video from Kitas Weather below shows rain intensity and strong winds that pounded Limassol on Wednesday. Similar events are expected on Thursday. Motorists are being warned to stay clear of roads with layers of water as hydroplaning could occur and be careful when driving in windy conditions.