Stormy weather to continue, further yellow warning issued (update 2)

Stormy weather that has gripped the island for the last 48 hours is set to continue into Wednesday as the met office issued a further yellow warning valid from 8pm Tuesday to 6am the following day.

Hail and heavy rains are due as the office urged people to take necessary precautions where possible.

Earlier on Tuesday, three traffic accidents happened on the motorway from Ayia Napa to Larnaca due to the accumulation of rainwater on the road.

According to police, the accidents which occurred near Pyla caused only material damage but nobody was injured.

As a result, the right lane of the motorway towards the Rizoelia roundabout in Larnaca has been closed.

Police has urged drivers to be extremely careful, to drive at low speeds, to keep a safe distance from other vehicles and to leave their headlights on.

Torrential rains in the Larnaca district started to fall from 3am on Tuesday, but have so far not caused any problems needing the intervention of the fire service, the service announced in the morning.

Rain also fell in the Famagusta area starting from 7am but was not as heavy as in Larnaca, the announcement said.

On Monday, the met office issued an orange alert for Tuesday, warning about strong storms and hail. The warning is valid until 8pm.

Temperatures will rise to 17C inland, around 21C on the west coast, around 19C in other coastal areas and 8C in the higher mountains.

More rain, hail and isolated thunderstorms are forecast for the evening, especially in the eastern part of the island.

Frost is likely to form around Troodos at night.

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