Cypriots are heading to vote under an unsettled sky, with heavy rainfall battering several parts of the island and causing flooding on road networks. The bad weather adds an unusual backdrop to an already charged election day, though it does not appear to be suppressing turnout, which by midday has already surpassed 2021 levels.
According to weather tracking site Kitasweather, the conditions are being driven by increased cloud cover over mountainous areas, inland regions and the eastern third of the island. The rainfall is concentrated mainly in the southeastern slopes of the Troodos mountain range, with more isolated incidents reported on the western slopes, as well as areas to the east and northeast of Cyprus. Videos and photographs shared by members of the public on social media show the intensity of the conditions, with flooded roads visible at multiple points across the island.
The Department of Meteorology had forecast the disruption in advance, warning of an unstable air mass affecting the region and predicting local rain and isolated thunderstorms developing mainly in mountainous regions, inland areas and parts of the southeast, with hail possible during thunderstorms. Winds are blowing from the southwest to northwest, reaching up to 5 Beaufort locally, with seas turning slightly rough to rough.
The afternoon remains unsettled, with isolated showers and thunderstorms still possible over the mountains and interior before conditions are expected to ease gradually into the evening. Overnight temperatures are forecast to drop to 14 degrees Celsius inland, around 16 degrees on the coast and as low as 8 degrees in the higher mountains. Monday is expected to bring a return to more settled weather, with temperatures rising again toward seasonal norms.
