LAST THREE MONTHS SAW HOTTEST DAYS ON RECORD

 Cyprus Mail 6 October 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou

July, August and September have been the hottest months on record since the Athalassa weather station was opened in 1983, the met office reported on Tuesday.

“During the month of September 2020, unusually high maximum temperatures occurred in most areas of Cyprus, while in general this September is recorded as an extremely hot month for several areas,” the announcement said.

On September 4, the highest temperature ever, 46.2C, was measured in Athalassa, beating the previous record of 45.6C on August 1, 2010.

In Kornos, with 44.3C, it was the hottest day on record since the station was installed there in 1961.

Other records were reached in Kalavasos, Prodromos and Troodos.

It was not only one day when temperatures soared, but the average daily maximum for the whole month of September was also the highest ever.

At the Athalassa station, the average was 38.2C, way more than the second highest in 2018 when it was 36.3C.

At Larnaca and Paphos airports, at Polis Chrysochous, Prodromos and Troodos average maximum temperatures were also higher than at any time since recording began.

September was the third consecutive month with new records. The average maximum temperature was 39.7C in July and 39.5C in August.

New records may also be on the cards for October, with the forecast predicting 38C for Tuesday and Wednesday, 4 to 5 degrees Celsius above average for the time of year.