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Thursday has arrived, and the weather has decided that sunshine and 30-plus temperatures have had quite enough attention for one year. A low-pressure system centred south of Crete is heading northeast and is expected to start affecting Cyprus from this afternoon. There may also be a light layer of dust suspended in the atmosphere, because the weather wanted to bring along a little extra baggage.
Today will be partly cloudy at first, becoming mainly cloudy at times. From around midday onwards, developing cloud is expected to bring isolated showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the mountains, inland and areas in the north.
And yes, there is hail on the guest list during thunderstorms.
Winds will begin variable and light before gradually becoming mainly southwesterly to northwesterly, light to moderate. During thunderstorms, they will strengthen and change direction, so the weather may get a little unpredictable when the clouds decide to kick off. The sea will generally remain calm to slightly choppy.
Temperatures will reach around 34°C inland, 30°C on the west coast, 32°C on the remaining coastal areas and 26°C in the higher mountains. So it is still warm, but the weather is very clearly preparing to change the subject.
Tonight, things get rather lively. The weather will become mainly cloudy and gradually deteriorate, with local showers and isolated thunderstorms expected. Things will start in the west before progressively spreading across the rest of the island. Hail is expected during thunderstorms, while the weather phenomena, particularly in coastal areas, may be intense or prolonged.
Winds will remain southwesterly to northwesterly and light to moderate, but during thunderstorms they will change direction and strengthen, with stronger gusts possible. The sea will remain calm to slightly choppy in the east, while elsewhere it will gradually become slightly choppy. In other words, tonight might not be the ideal evening for an optimistic little stroll along the seafront.
Friday will remain mainly cloudy, with local showers and isolated thunderstorms expected at times. Hail is expected during thunderstorms, while winds will strengthen and change direction. The bigger change, however, will be in the temperatures, which will fall noticeably and reach levels below the seasonal average. After all those weeks of Cyprus behaving like September was simply July wearing a different outfit, this is quite the development.
And then, just like that, the weekend turns the lights back on. Saturday and Sunday should be considerably calmer, with most areas becoming mainly clear and occasional increased cloud. That does not mean the mountains are completely finished with their weather experiments, though. Around midday and afterwards, developing cloud over the mountains and inland areas could produce isolated showers or thunderstorms. Temperatures will gradually climb again through Sunday, returning to around the average climatic values for the season.
So there we have it. Thursday starts with clouds gathering their thoughts, tonight could get properly stormy, Friday brings a rather welcome drop in temperatures, and the weekend looks set to give us a little breathing room. Summer isn't exactly leaving without a final performance, but at least the weather has finally remembered that September is allowed to have a plot twist.
