The Climate of
Cyprus
Mosfiloti Ayia Thekla monastery
What is the climate of Cyprus like?
Cyprus, the largest island in the eastern Mediterranean, is situated to the south of Turkey. It has a typical Mediterranean climate but its proximity to the land-mass of southwest Asia makes it one of the hottest parts of the Mediterranean in midsummer. This applies particularly to the central plain and the coastal regions. The island is mountainous and the two main mountain masses, the Kyrenia ridge in the north and the Troödos mountains rising to nearly 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), have a cooler and wetter climate which supports excellent pine forests.
In general, Cyprus experiences mild wet winters and dry hot summers. Variations in temperature and rainfall are governed by altitude and, to a lesser extent, distance from the coast. Summers are hot or warm, depending on altitude, and almost completely rainless from late May to mid-September. During this period the weather is constant from day to day and almost completely cloudless. The rest of the year is more changeable, with the heaviest rainfall and greatest chance of disturbed weather in the midwinter months.
Temperatures in winter are generally mild except in the mountains where, above 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), snow becomes frequent and on the summit of Troödos it may lie for four to five months. Disturbed winter weather rarely lasts more than a few days. During spring and autumn settled weather may last for two or three weeks, with brief interruptions of stormy wet weather.
The mean annual temperature for the island as a whole is about 20°C (68°F). Summer temperatures are high in the lowlands, even near the sea, and may reach oppressive levels inland. In summer the high daytime temperatures on the coast are tempered by cooling sea breezes but the nights may feel rather warm and sultry. Nicosia is representative of conditions at low levels inland where daytime temperatures are very high in midsummer. The evenings and nights, however, feel cooler than on the coast. In the higher parts of the mountains summer conditions feel delightfully cool and fresh after the heat of the lowlands. There are numerous hill resorts for both summer as well as winter seasons.
| Climate data for Nicosia, (1991-2005) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) | 15.9 (60.6) | 19.2 (66.6) | 24.3 (75.7) | 29.7 (85.5) | 34.3 (93.7) | 37.2 (99.0) | 36.9 (98.4) | 33.5 (92.3) | 29.0 (84.2) | 22.1 (71.8) | 17.0 (62.6) | 26.2 (79.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.6 (51.1) | 10.6 (51.1) | 13.1 (55.6) | 17.1 (62.8) | 22.3 (72.1) | 26.9 (80.4) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.4 (84.9) | 26.2 (79.2) | 22.3 (72.1) | 16.3 (61.3) | 12.0 (53.6) | 19.7 (67.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) | 5.2 (41.4) | 7.0 (44.6) | 10.2 (50.4) | 14.8 (58.6) | 19.4 (66.9) | 22.2 (72.0) | 21.9 (71.4) | 18.8 (65.8) | 15.6 (60.1) | 10.4 (50.7) | 7.1 (44.8) | 13.2 (55.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 54.7 (2.15) | 41.6 (1.64) | 28.3 (1.11) | 19.9 (0.78) | 23.5 (0.93) | 17.6 (0.69) | 5.8 (0.23) | 1.3 (0.05) | 11.7 (0.46) | 17.4 (0.69) | 54.6 (2.15) | 65.8 (2.59) | 342.2 (13.47) |
| Source: Meteorological Service (Cyprus) | |||||||||||||
Cyprus is a very sunny island even in winter. The average number of daily hours of sunshine ranges from six in midwinter to twelve or thirteen in midsummer. For those who find high temperatures unpleasant, the best time to visit Cyprus is in the spring, when the weather is generally sunny and warm and the island is colourful with flowering plants. In late summer and autumn the island appears scorched and dry after the long summer drought.
The cool, rainy season lasts from November to March. In winter, snow covers the higher peaks of the Troödos; elsewhere the temperature seldom falls below freezing, and conditions are mild and bracing. Rainfall is erratic and varies greatly in different parts of the island. The higher mountain areas receive the heaviest annual rainfall, which may be as much as 1,000 millimeters (40 inches). Plains along the northern coast and in the Karpas Peninsula area average 400 to 450 millimeters (16–18 inches) of annual rainfall. The main agricultural areas receive rainfall of around 300 to 400 millimeters (12–16 inches) annually. Variability in annual rainfall is characteristic for the island, however, and droughts are frequent and sometimes severe.
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, (1993), Cyprus: a country study. Claitor's Pub. Division. ISBN 0844407526
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Cyprus
In summary:
The climate is Mediterranean, with sharply defined seasons. There are hot, dry summers between June and September; rainy winters from November to March; and short, changeable spring and autumn seasons in between. Annual rainfall averages around 500 millimeters (20 inches). Precipitation is lowest in the area of Nicosia and highest on Mount Olympus in the Troödos Mountains.
Cyprus is for the most part dry and sunny. The warm currents of the Mediterranean ensure mild winters but bring humidity to the coastal area in the summer, when the central plain is hot and dry. On the hills, daily sunshine is interrupted only occasionally by a wet period rarely lasting more than a week. The mean annual temperature is about 20°C (68°F).