Cyprus Travel Guide

Climate

Cyprus has an intense Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers from mid-May to mid-September and rainy winters from November to mid-March. These are separated by rather short autumn and spring seasons of swift change in weather conditions.

At latitude 350 N, Longitude 330 E, Cyprus has a change in day length from 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.

The summer is a season of high temperatures and almost negligible rainfall. During the winter Cyprus is near the track of fairly frequent small depressions that give periods of disturbed weather usually lasting from one to three days and produce most of the annual precipitation, the average fall from December to February being about 60% of the annual total.

Rainfall

Rainfall in the warm months contributes little or nothing to water resources and agriculture, and the autumn and winter rainfall, on which agriculture and water supply generally depend, is rather unpredictable.

Average annual rainfall:

480 mm. Statistical analysis reveals a decreasing trend of rainfall amounts in the last 30 years.

Highest registered rainfall:

759 mm (1968/69)

Lowest registered rainfall:

182 mm (1972/73)

Snow:

Frequent every winter on ground above 1,000 m (3,200 ft)

Hail and Thunder

In the lowlands:

2 or 3 times a year

In the mountains:

6 to 9 times a year

Air temperature

Variation according to altitude:

5C per 1,000 m (3,200 ft)

Seasonal difference between mid-summer and mid-winter temperatures:

- Inland: 18C

- Seaside: 14C

Difference between day maximum and night minimum temperatures:

· Winter: 8°C to 10°C on the lowlands and 5°C to 6°C on the mountains

· Summer: 16°C on the central plain and 9°C to 12°C elsewhere

Mean daily temperatures:

· Winter: 10°C on the central plain and 3°C on the higher parts of Troodos

· Summer: 29°C on the central plain and 22°C on the Troodos mountains

Average maximum and minimum temperatures:

· Central plain: Maximum 36°C. Minimum 5°C

· Troodos Mountains: Maximum 27°C. Minimum 0°C

Sea temperature

Maximum sea temperature:

27°C-28°C (August)

Average sea temperature:

· June to November: 22°C

· January to March: 16°C to 17°C

Humidity

Winter and nights:

65-95%

Summer:

15-30%

Sunshine

Average hours of sunshine:

75% of the time the sun is above the horizon

Summer:

11.5 hours (average)

Winter:

5.5 hours in the cloudiest months (December and January