This week, Cyprus will see very different types of weather. First, there will be light rain, but soon strong thunderstorms will come and temperatures will fall quickly. However, experts say these fast changes are part of a much bigger problem. The island is getting hotter too fast, its normal climate is changing, and its important forests are starting to die. New information shows Cyprus is being strongly affected by climate change, and these effects are happening much earlier than scientists thought.
Scientists say Cyprus is getting warmer by 0.4 to 0.6 degrees Celsius every ten years. This year, almost 70% of days have been warmer than usual. Autumn is changing a lot. Dr. Panos Hadjinicolaou, a climate professor, says recent Novembers feel like September. This shows us what the future will be like.
There is also much less rain now than in the past. Since the 1950s, the island gets about 83 millimetres less rain every year. The rain is also different. Now, it often comes as heavy, damaging storms instead of soft rain that helps the land. Scientists think there will be 20% less rain by 2050.
The dry weather is causing a crisis in the forests. In some areas, up to 40% of trees are very dry and stressed. A forest official called it "the beginning of a disaster." Workers are now taking emergency actions like watering important trees with recycled water and removing dead trees to stop fires.
These changes mean autumn is becoming shorter and summer longer. People will need more energy for cooling, and water will become more scarce. Forest managers are now planting more trees that can survive with little water. For Cyprus, adapting to this new climate is an urgent and continuing task.