Discomfort levels across the island will be high throughout the week as Cyprus continues to swelter under extreme temperatures, accompanied by elevated humidity levels, as the Met Office issued a double warning for Wednesday.
The warnings come two days after the island saw its third hottest day ever, with temperatures reaching 45.6°C in the capital.
And July went down as the hottest month on record.
An orange warning was issued for the maximum temperature in the mountains is expected to rise to around 35 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office also issued a yellow warning as the minimum temperature in the mountains is not expected to drop below 24°C, while the maximum temperature inland is expected to peak around 40°C.
In comments to the Financial Mirror, weather observer Eric Kitas of KitasWeather said the island is influenced by a high-pressure weather system moving from the Middle East.
“The big difference with the previous heatwaves we’ve seen so far is that there will be higher humidity levels, severely increasing discomfort,” said Kitas.
He added that the current weather conditions will continue until the end of the week “with little hope for a dramatic drop”.
“Temperatures from Monday will probably be hovering around 39°C for a week or so,” said the weather observer.
Cyprus witnessed its third hottest day ever recorded, as temperatures in Nicosia climbed to a whopping 45.3°C on August 14.
The island has suffered prolonged heatwaves since mid-July– the hottest month on record.
It was not just the hottest July ever but the hottest month since the weather station in Athalassa Nicosia was established in 1983.
Temperatures last month hit a maximum of 44.6°C on July 14.
Cyprus’ highest recorded temperature was 46.2°C on September 4, 2020, in Nicosia.
Temperatures inland will reach 40°C, 32-33°C on the coast and around 35°C in the higher mountains.
Meanwhile, citing the orange warning in place, the labour department confirmed a ban on heavy and medium outdoor labour, including delivery services on two-wheel vehicles, from 12 to 4 pm on Wednesday.
In July, the cabinet decided to ban food and other related delivery services during orange and red heatwave warnings issued by the Met Office.
