Week starts with high heat index and rain

A combination of a low pressure system and a warm air mass is still affecting Cyprus this week, with officials warning of extreme high temperatures along with chances of rain due to unstable air over the island.

Weather officials have issued a yellow warning effective Monday afternoon from 1pm until 5pm, citing extreme high temperatures reaching 41 degrees Celsius in the interior and 33 high up in the mountains.

High humidity levels and extreme high temperatures during the yellow warning are also expected to cause discomfort, according to weather officials, who highlighted the heat index and pop-up showers as the main weather features for this week.

Monday morning skies started with low cloud formations while mostly clear skies were expected through the late morning.

But increasing clouds are also expected after midday, with low chances of showers and thunderstorms expected in the afternoon, mainly inland and in the mountains. Winds are also expected to pick up in the late afternoon.

Temperature highs will reach 41 degrees Celsius in the interior, 31 in the west and southwest, and around 33 in all other coastal regions including high up in the mountains.

Evening skies will remain mostly clear but also foggy and cloudy over local areas. Temperature lows will drop to 24 degrees in the interior and along the coast, while it will be 21 high up in the mountains.

Humidity levels are expected to remain comparatively high in the morning as well as evening hours, while the warm air mass is expected to move out on Wednesday.

Weather officials explained that local showers were expected to pop up across the island due to unstable air, with local hard-to-predict thunderstorms not ruled out as a result throughout most of the workweek.