A very strong and unusual storm, named Adel, hit Cyprus over the weekend. Weather services had to send out urgent warnings to the public. The storm brought very heavy rain, large hailstones, and strong winds to the island. This dangerous weather caused serious problems, including rockslides that blocked an important road. Police had to close the road to keep people safe.
This bad weather started with a low-pressure system over the northern Aegean Sea. The storm, Adel, then moved towards Cyprus. The Cyprus Meteorology Department watched the storm carefully. As it got closer, they issued a formal yellow warning. The storm first reached the western and northern parts of the island late on Saturday. It then spread across the whole country.
The worst of the storm was from Saturday evening until Sunday afternoon. During this time, some areas saw extremely heavy rain, with between 35 and 55 millimetres falling in just one hour. This was too much for the drains to handle and caused sudden floods. The storm also dropped hail, and there was even sleet in the Troodos mountains. The air was also full of dust, which made the sky look yellow and reduced air quality.
The strong winds also made the sea very rough, especially on the western and northern coasts. On land, the Limassol area was badly affected. The heavy rain caused rockslides on the Pachyammos-Kato Pyrgos road. Police told drivers to be very careful or to find another way to travel.
Temperatures became much cooler because of the storm. It was only around 12 degrees Celsius inside the country and about 7 degrees in the mountains. By Sunday evening, the strongest part of the storm was over. However, weather officials said that some rain and unsettled weather would probably continue into Monday and Tuesday. This storm shows how quickly the weather in the Mediterranean can become severe.