A powerful and unusual storm, named Adel, hit Cyprus over the weekend. The storm was so strong that weather services had to issue urgent public warnings. This intense weather system brought very heavy rain, large hailstones, and strong winds across the island. These dangerous conditions led to serious problems, including rockslides that blocked a major road and required police to close it for public safety.
The storm began as a deep area of low pressure over the northern Aegean Sea. As it moved northeast, its effects spread across the eastern Mediterranean, reaching Cyprus. The Cyprus Meteorology Department carefully watched the storm's path. As the danger grew, they officially raised the alert level to a yellow warning. The storm first reached western and northern parts of Cyprus late on Saturday. It then moved across the entire island, showing how wide its impact was.
The worst of the storm occurred from late Saturday night through Sunday afternoon. During this time, the most powerful thunderstorms produced extremely heavy rain. At its peak, the rainfall reached between 35 and 55 millimetres per hour. This amount of rain can quickly flood streets because drainage systems cannot cope. The storms also dropped hail, and the highest points of the Troodos mountains even saw some sleet. To make matters worse, a high level of dust in the air lowered air quality and created a strange, yellow-coloured haze.
Conditions on land and at sea became much worse. The wind, which started from the southeast and southwest, became stronger and changed direction to a more powerful southwesterly and northwesterly flow. These winds, sometimes reaching gale force, created very rough seas, especially for western and northern coasts. On land, the Limassol province was hit hard. On the Pachyammos-Kato Pyrgos road, continuous heavy rain caused earth and rocks to slide onto the road, making it very dangerous. The police released statements, strongly advising drivers to be very careful or to find other routes.
Temperatures also dropped significantly because of the storm. Inland overnight lows fell to around 12 degrees Celsius, while it was as cold as 7 degrees in the mountains. On Sunday, daytime temperatures only reached the low 20s, which is much cooler than normal for this time of year. Although the most intense part of Storm Adel had passed by Sunday evening, weather forecasts suggested the unstable weather was not over. Officials predicted that scattered showers and generally unsettled conditions would continue into Monday and Tuesday, delaying a full return to calm weather. Storm Adel is a clear example of how the Mediterranean can be vulnerable to sudden and severe weather events.