Last cold snap of the winter coming

Winter has not yet left Cyprus as the last cold snap before spring is coming, with temperatures to drop on Thursday with freezing conditions at the weekend on higher ground.

According to weather experts, the island will be shivering under a cold front named Philippos, heading from Greece with lower temperatures and more snowfall.

In comments to the Financial Mirror, weather observer Eric Kitas of KitasWeather, said a low-pressure weather system Philippos, currently affecting Greece, will grip the island, pushing temperatures below the seasonal average.

Currently, in Greece, mountains in the north of the country but also on the mainland and in the lowlands of Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace are seeing snow.

“The intensity will not be as high as in Greece and will not require any warnings.

“The island will, however, be experiencing the freezing conditions it endured in January when it was hit by several cold fronts”, said Kitas.

He said that the weather system would send temperatures around 8 degrees Celsius below the average 18°C.

“The mountains are in for freezing weather and snowfall as temperatures are expected to drop well below the average high of 8°C, dropping to around -4°C on Friday.”

Kitas said that Philippos would be the last cold weather snap before warmer weather settles in for spring.

The weather on Wednesday is expected to be fine, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 18°C inland, 20°C on the coast and 4°C on the mountains.

The cold snap will start taking hold of the island on Thursday, with temperatures dropping to 16°C inland, 17°C on the coast, and -1°C in the highest mountains.

Maximum temperatures on Friday inland will drop to 10°C, 12°C on the coast and -4°C on the highest mountains.

Local showers are expected, while there will be snow on the mountains with freezing conditions over the weekend.

Although the weather will improve on Monday, Cyprus will remain under the cold snap for nearly a week.