Nicosia, Cyprus. A yellow warning for isolated strong storms is in effect until 6:00pm on Saturday, alongside high levels of dust, the met office said. Authorities also issued health, work safety and civil defence advice.
Storm warning and expected conditions
The storms are expected to hit initially in the west of the island and then spread across the island. Hail and strong winds are expected, while rain intensity may exceed 35 millimetres per hour in some areas.
Saturday’s high concentrations of dust should clear by noon on Sunday and the weather is expected to gradually improve.
Health and work safety warnings over dust
The Labor Inspection Department issued a work safety warning for the high dust levels and also issued a general health warning for the vulnerable.
“Because the dust contains small inhalable particles, which may have a negative impact on human health, the public, and especially vulnerable population groups (children, the elderly and the sick), are urged to avoid moving around in open spaces,” it said.
The latest hourly dust concentration values measured at 08:00 a.m. were 76.6 μg/m3 in Nicosia, 496.0 μg/m3 in Limassol, 202.9 μg/m3 in Larnaca, 1082.9 μg/m3 in Paralimni and 203.8 μg/m3 in Paphos.
More information and continuous, immediate updates on the results of hourly measurements can be found at www.airquality.gov.cy.
Civil defence recommendations
Civil defence issued recommendations to the public to counter the consequences of heavy rainfall and storms.
These included ensuring drains outside the home or workplace are not blocked and that gutters function normally. For basements in vulnerable areas at risk of flooding, it recommended digging a special water accumulation pit and using an automatic water pump, as well as removing valuable objects.
How are you preparing for the expected storms and high dust levels in your area?
