Cyprus caught in the big freeze

CYPRUS was yesterday in the grip of a cold spell, with low temperatures, freezing cold, sleet and even snow on the plain over the past couple of days. Sleet fell on Nicosia and Limassol on Monday night, turning to snow on the outskirts of the capital, while in all the districts there was heavy rainfall.

In the mountains, the snow reached 40 centimetres at the peak of Mount Olympus and 30 centimetres on Troodos Square. The Prodromos-Troodos road was closed to all traffic yesterday because of the snow and frost, while police closed other mountain roads except to those with four-wheel drive or snow chains.

Schools were closed in a number of villages.According to the Meteorological Service, the low pressure over the region is moving towards the east.

Today and tomorrow, the weather will be mainly fine and the temperature will gradually rise. On Friday, a broken cloud cover is forecast. The temperature will rise back to the seasonal norm.