Winds and rain across Cyprus leave people without power
Strong winds left over 20 communities in Cyprus without electricity on Wednesday morning as severe weather swept across the island.
The electricity authority of Cyprus reported significant power supply issues in all districts, primarily due to damage from the winds.
It also noted serious delays at their call centre because of a high volume of incoming calls, while repair crews worked to restore electricity.
Power cuts affected various areas including Farmakas, Geri, Kakopetria, parts of Pera Chorio Nisou and Pera in Nicosia.
In Limassol, outages impacted Erimi, Germasogeia, Kantou, Prodromos, and Souni.
Larnaca experienced disruptions in Odou, Ormideia, Perivolia, and Xylotymbou, while Paphos faced issues in Giolou, Miliou, Theletra, and a planned outage in Latchi.
Acheritou, Dasaki Achna, and Vrysoulles in Famagusta also reported power outages.
This disruption coincided with a low-pressure system over the Black Sea, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and isolated thunderstorms to Cyprus.
Gusts in exposed areas reached force 9 to 10 on the Beaufort scale, while coastal winds blew at force 6 to 7.
Sea conditions were also very rough while snowfall fell in the higher mountains.
Despite the adverse weather, district authorities reported no major incidents apart from the power cuts.
The rainfall provided some relief to water reserves.
At the Asprokremmos Dam, inflows approached 10 million cubic metres, raising capacity above 18 per cent.
Smaller inflows were recorded at the Kannaviou and Evretou dams.
Officials stated that recent rains have improved the outlook and may help prevent summer water cuts if managed properly.