| TRNC has an intense Mediterranean climate with the typical seasonal rhythms
strongly marked in respect of temperature, rainfall and weather generally. Hot,
dry summers from mid-May to mid-October and rainy, rather changeable winters
from mid-November to mid-March are separated by short autumn and spring seasons
of rapid change in weather conditions. The long narrow Besparmak mountain range,
play an important part in the meteorology of TRNC. The predominantly clear skies
and extensive sunshine give large seasonal and daily differences between temperatures
of the sea and the interior of the island which also cause considerable local
effects especially near the coast.At Latitude 35 degrees north and Longitude
33 degrees east, TRNC has a change in day-length from 9.8 hours in December
to 14.5 hours in June. In summer the TRNC is mainly under the influence of a
shallow trough of low pressure extending from the great continental depression
centered over southwest Asia. It is a season of high temperatures with almost
cloudless skies. Rainfall is negligible but isolated thunderstorms sometimes
occur giving rainfall amounting to less than 5% of the total in the average
year. In winter, TRNC is near the track of fairly frequent small depressions
which cross the Mediterranean Sea from west to east between the continental
anti-cyclone of Eurasia and the generally low pressure belt of North Africa.
These depressions give periods of disturbed weather usually lasting for a day
or so and produce most of the annual precipitation, the average amount from
December to February being nearly two thirds of the year`s total.
Rainfall
The narrow ridge of the Besparmak range, stretching 100 miles from east to west
along the extreme north of the island, produces a relatively small increase
of rainfall to nearly 550 millimetres along its ridge at about 1,000 metres.
The average annual rainfall is about 500 millimetres but it was as low as 213
millimetres in 1972/73 and as high as 800 millimetres in 1968/69. Statistical
analysis of rainfall in Cyprus reveals a decreasing trend of rainfall amounts
in the last decades. Snow occurs rarely in the lowlands and on the Besparmak
range.
Hail and Thunder
Hail is reported on an average two or three times a year in the lowlands and
probably three times as frequently on the mountains, usually between November
and May, in most districts of Cyprus. Months most liable to have hailstorms
are December to April but can occur, although rarely, in early summer and autumn,
causing considerable damage to fruit crops. Thunder is rare from June to September
but in other seasons is heard on average on four or five days per month from
October to January and two or three days per month from February to May.
Air Temperatures
TRNC has a hot summer and mild winter but this generalization must be modified
by consideration of altitude, which lowers temperatures by about 5 degrees C
per 1,000 metres, and of marine influences which give cooler summers and warmer
winters near most of the coastline and especially on the west coast.The seasonal
difference between mid-summer and mid-winter temperatures is quite large at
18 degrees C in the inland areas and about 14 degrees C on the coasts. Differences
between day maximum and night minimum temperatures are also quite large especially
in the inland areas in summer. These differences are in winter 8 degrees C to
10 degrees C on the lowlands and 5 degrees C to 6 degrees C on the mountains
increasing in summer to 16 degrees C in the central plain and 9 degrees C to
12 degrees C elsewhere.In July and August the mean daily temperature ranges
between 29 degrees C on the central plain and 24 degrees C on the costal range,
while the average maximum temperature for these months ranges between 36 degrees
C and 31 degrees C respectively. In January the mean daily temperature is 10
degrees C on the central plain and 12 degrees C on the costal range with an
average minimum temperature of 5 degrees C and 9 degrees C respectively. Frosts
are rarely severe but are frequent in winter and spring inland and sometimes
affect the economically important production of early vegetable crops and main
citrus.
Sea Temperatures
In the open sea, temperatures rise to 27 degrees C in August and are above 22
degrees C during the six months from June to November. During the three coolest
months, January to March, average sea temperature falls only to 16 degrees C
or 17 degrees C. Near all coasts, in water three or four metres deep, temperatures
are very similar to those of the open sea and lie within the range 15 degrees
C to 17 degrees C in February and 23 degrees C to 28 degrees C in August.There
is no significant daily change of sea water temperature except on the coast
in very shallow waters of less than one metre depth.
Soil Temperatures
Seasonal change in mean soil temperatures is from about 10 degrees C in January
to 33 degrees C in July at 10 centimetres depth and from 14 degrees C to 28
degrees C at one metre. Absorption of large amounts of solar energy during the
day and high radiation losses with clear skies at night cause a wide daily range
of soil temperatures in summer. At the soil surface the daily variation on a
typical July day in the lowlands is between 15 degrees C near dawn to about
60 degrees C in mid afternoon. At only 5 centimetres depth the variation is
reduced to between 24 degrees C and 42 degrees C and at 50 centimetres depth
there is no daily temperature change.
Relative Humidity of the Air
Elevation above mean sea level and distance from the coast have considerable
effects on the relative humidity which to a large extent are a reflection of
temperature differences. Humidity may be described as average or slightly low
at 65% to 95% during winter days and at night throughout the year. Near midday
in summer it is very low with values on the central plain usually a little over
30% and occasionally as low as 15%. Fog is infrequent and usually confined to
the early mornings but there are longer periods in the mountains in winter when
cloud often envelopes the highest peaks. Visibility is generally very good or
excellent but on a few days each spring the atmosphere is very hazy with dust
brought from the Arabian and African deserts.
Sunshine
All parts of TRNC enjoy a very sunny climate. In the central plain and eastern
lowlands the average number of hours of bright sunshine for the whole year is
75% of the time that the sun is above the horizon. Over the whole six summer
months there is an average of 11.5 hours of bright sunshine per day whilst in
winter this is reduced only to 5.5 hours in the cloudiest months, December and
January. Even on the mountains the cloudiest winter months have an average of
nearly 4 hours of bright sunshine per day and in June and July the figure reaches
11 hours.
Winds
Over the eastern Mediterranean generally surface winds are mostly westerly or
southwesterly in winter and northwesterly or northerly in summer. Usually of
light or moderate strength, rarely reaching of that of gale force.Over the island
of Cyprus winds are quite variable in direction with orography and local heating
effects playing a large part in the determination of local wind direction and
strength. Differences of temperature between sea and land which are built up
daily in predominant periods of clear skies in summer cause considerable sea
and land breezes. Whilst these are most marked near the coasts they regularly
penetrate far inland in summer reaching the capital, Lefkosa and often bringing
a welcome reduction of temperature and also an increase in humidity.
Gales are infrequent over TRNC but may occur especially on exposed coasts with
winter depressions. Small whirlwinds are common in summer appearing mostly near
midday as "dust devils" on the hot dry central plain. Very rarely
vortices, approaching a diameter of 100 metres or so and with the characteristics
of water spouts at sea and of small tornadoes on land, occur in thundery weather.
Localised damage caused by these has been reported on a few occasions but in
general Cyprus suffers relatively little wind damage |
North Cyprus
