A drop in the ocean

RAIN, snow and lower temperatures will be seen across the island until tomorrow.
Head of the Meteorological Services Kyriacos Theofilou said that only 10mm of rain has fallen so far this January, making it the worst January since 1901.

Rain and snow on higher ground finally fell on Sunday night and throughout yesterday, with more expected until Wednesday afternoon.

Today is expected to be colder, with a maximum temperature of around ten degrees Celsius.

The current low-pressure system has come from the north-west, the weather chief explained.

Police have warned motorists in the higher mountains not to drive unless their vehicles are equipped with snow chains.

The senior technician at the Water Development Department explained that dam capacity is currently 24.8 million cubic metres of water, which is 9.1 per cent of storage capacity.

Phedros Roussis said that this is the lowest figure since 1987.

“At the same stage last January, capacity was 59 million cubic metres, or 21.6 per cent.”

He added that the recent rains have not really helped the situation. “What we really need to see in order to make a difference is several continuous days of very heavy rainfall, in the region of 60 to 70mm daily.”

Two weeks ago, senior meteorological officer Loizos Stefanou explained that the dearth of rain and unseasonable cold have been attributed to the Siberian anti-cyclone that visits the island annually.

The weather phenomenon has been affecting Cyprus since the end of December and has outstayed its welcome this year round.

“The air masses move parallel to the concentric formation of the anti-cyclone. The anti-cyclone moves clockwise, heading south from Siberia, turning on Cyprus and heading for Europe,” he said.

The temporal and long-term effects of the cold that the Siberian anti-cyclone has brought with it are also a concern.

Meteorological data shows that during the first fortnight of January, actual temperatures have been as much as seven degrees Celsius below those expected.

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