RAINFALL in October was the second highest for the month since 1901, with 109mm recorded.
A spokesman for the Meteorological Services said yesterday this was, “333 per cent more than the average rainfall for October, with all the rain coming from various low-pressure systems hitting the island and the surrounding area.”
The forecast up to Saturday is for further cloud cover, bringing the possibility of more rain, he said.
“As far as temperatures were concerned, the October average is a maximum of 28 degrees Celsius for Nicosia and Larnaca, 26 for Paphos and 19 degrees in the mountains. What we saw in Nicosia and on higher ground were temperatures slightly lower than average.”
The Water Development Department says dam storage is currently 68 million cubic metres of water, 24.9 per cent of the total capacity of 273 million cubic metres, still down significantly from 138 million cubic metres or 49.8 per cent of capacity this time last year.
The inflow of water into the dams in the last 24 hours was 1.3 million cubic metres.
The weather has wreaked havoc over the past month, with most incidents occurring in the Paphos area. A couple were swept away in a flash flood on Monday, with the woman’s body found on Tuesday and her husbands still missing, while 100 British holidaymakers were lucky to escape with their lives when a mudslide brought on by torrential rain viciously swept through the Corallia Hotel three weeks ago.
“It was like a mini tsunami ripping through the building. I can’t believe no one drowned,” a guest said at the time.
At the time, tornados were sighted about three kilometres off the coast of Vardas beach, with an eyewitness stating that, “you could see the water being sucked up into the sky.”
Due to the high winds and an electrical storm, British Airways had to divert all flights to and from Paphos airport.
A whirlwind hit Larnaca on Monday, uprooting trees and severely damaging property, while a section of motorway filled with mud and stones, making driving conditions impossible.
The Fire Services have had their work cut out, with spokeswoman Lisa Kemidji saying they have been, “called out hundreds of times, mainly to deal with flooded properties which have sustained water damage and to help motorists whose cars have been left stranded.”
Thousands of people across the island have also had to deal with the inconvenience of power cuts, brought on by the stormy conditions.
Cyprus is advertised as having more than 300 days of sunshine a year, but the recent furious weather proves nature will always have the last word.
