The relentless  rain of the past few days has exceeded Cyprus' monthly rainfall by up to 200 per cent in some areas, such as Larnaca, Philippos Timvios of the Meteorological Service said yesterday.

In addition to the rain, temperatures have been rooted at 16C, six to seven degrees below the usual November average.The average rainfall figures for November are 53 millimetres, while on Monday alone the rainfall reached 35 millimetres.

Larnaca was affected the most by the rainy weather, with the airport experiencing rainfall of up to 91.3mm since Monday, while normal levels for the whole month are 42mm.

Water levels in some of the islands' dams are also looking up with the Kalavasos dam in Limassol recording the highest level at approximately six million cubic metres of water.

The Fire Department received several calls for help throughout the island for draining garages, freeing cars from flooded areas and removing fallen trees from roads.

The village of Mazotos was at the epicentre of the heavy rainfall, having experienced electricity cuts and blocked roads. Many residents lamented the effect of the rain on their crops.

"I worked so hard during the summer to take care of my field and prepare it for the new season and the rain just came down and destroyed over half of my crops," said one resident.

"I've lived here for 37 years, and I've never seen so much rain in my life," said another.

Meanwhile, relentless rain on Monday afternoon made driving conditions especially dangerous with a total of ten people injured - some of them seriously - in two separate road accidents in Paphos and Larnaca.

A 57-year-old man collided with a car driven by a 34-year-old woman who had four minors with her: a three-year-old, two nine-year-olds and a fifteen-year-old.

The 54-year-old was driving at 3:45pm on the Limassol-Paphos highway when he lost control of his car hit the railings on the right and then slammed on to the 34-year-old's car.

The 57-year-old was seriously injured and had to be taken to Nicosia General Hospital.

The 34-year-old and one of the nine-year-olds fractured their neck and had to be kept in Paphos General Hospital. The other nine-year-old suffered from a concussion and was also kept in.

Police reiterated their warnings yesterday for drivers to be vigilant when driving, keep a safe distance and driving slowly, especially on slippery roads.

Source: Cyprus Mail