PEOPLE were yesterday warned to brace themselves for further storms, with forecasters predicting that high winds and heavy rains would strike again tonight.
In Larnaca this week, speeds reached in excess of 47 knots and temperatures across the island were on average 4 degrees lower than normal.
“We’re expecting more intense phenomena on Thursday evening,” Loizos Stephanou, the Acting Director for the weather department said. “On Tuesday night temperatures dropped to just one degree and in parts of Troodos, to minus seven.”
Much of the mountains are closed to motorists unless they have four-wheel drive or chains and the areas of Kakopetria, Pinewood, Pedhoulas and Spilia are among the worst affected. The same warning applies to parts of the Nicosia district, such as the Plethora, Agros and Sarandi areas. In addition the police are advising people to drive with extra caution to avoid accidents.
The warning was partially prompted by the death of a 31-year-old Anastassios Mavrides from Paphos, who was killed on Tuesday on the main road from Limassol to Paphos in an accident in which the bad weather was reported to have played a major factor.
Fortunately, things are set to pick up over the weekend. On Friday the weather will be unsettled with isolated showers and on Saturday it will improve even further.
On Sunday and Monday temperatures are expected to reach as high as 20 degrees. Meanwhile, this week’s heavy rainfall has helped stock the island’s dams, with the current level rising to 16.4 per cent of their total capacity, compared to 12 per cent this time last year. “We’ve already had 66 per cent of this month’s rainfall, but it’s still not enough and we’re hoping that March will bring more,” Klitos Piyiotis, Senior Meteorological Superintendent told the Cyprus Mail.
The strong winds wreaked havoc across the island on Tuesday, with trees uprooted, cars overturned and roads closed. However, initial reports that the wind was to blame for the collapse of a supermarket roof have since been dismissed, as investigations have revealed the primary factor was poor construction. Workers at the site narrowly escaped injury when more than 100 tones of cement fell away from the building in Paphos.
According to reports, serious errors have been detected in the building’s design, and safety officials from the Labour Ministry were yesterday inspecting the site. It appears that while the bad weather did play a role, it was by no means the main cause for the collapse. Inspectors are now planning to prepare a full report, which will be sent to the Labour Minister in a few days’ time.
Meanwhile crews have been working all day to clean up the site and the authorities have organised a clearance of the surrounding area.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
