Cyprus is set for rain, thunderstorms, hail and strong winds on Friday, with a yellow weather warning remaining in force until the afternoon as low pressure affects the island.
The weather will be mostly cloudy, with local rain and isolated thunderstorms at intervals. From midday onwards, the strongest activity is expected to become concentrated mainly over the mountains and the eastern half of the island, where conditions could be locally intense or prolonged.
A significant improvement is expected by late afternoon.
Hail and strong gusts possible
Hail is expected in some thunderstorms, while winds will generally blow from the southwest to northwest.
They will initially be light to moderate at 3 to 4 Beaufort, strengthening to 4 to 5 Beaufort and temporarily reaching 5 to 6 Beaufort along parts of the southwest coast.
In thunderstorms, however, winds may become variable and considerably stronger, with gusts potentially reaching 8 to 9 Beaufort.
The sea will generally be slight, becoming temporarily rougher along exposed coasts.
Temperatures are expected to reach:
- 31°C inland
- 28°C on the west coast
- Around 29°C on other coasts
- 22°C in the higher mountains
Conditions improve tonight
Friday night will become gradually mostly clear, although locally increased cloud cover is expected, particularly in western areas.
Winds will mainly blow from the west to northwest at 3 to 4 Beaufort, while the sea will remain generally slight before becoming smooth to slight in southern and eastern coastal areas later in the night.
Temperatures will fall to around 19°C inland, 21°C along the coast and 13°C in the higher mountains.
Yellow warning until 5pm
The Department of Meteorology's yellow warning, which came into effect at 9pm on Thursday, 17 September, will remain valid until 5pm on Friday, 18 September.
Isolated strong thunderstorms are expected to affect Cyprus intermittently, initially over the western half of the island before spreading to other areas.
Rainfall intensity could reach 35 to 55 millimetres per hour, with hail also possible locally. Gusts in thunderstorms may reach 8 Beaufort.
Weekend brings improvement
Mostly clear conditions are forecast across most of Cyprus on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, although temporary cloud cover will develop at times.
Clouds forming over the mountains and possibly inland after midday could bring isolated showers or thunderstorms.
Temperatures will rise on Saturday and increase slightly again on Sunday, returning close to seasonal averages. No significant change is expected on Monday.
