Cyprus experienced a mini heatwave yesterday, with temperatures reaching 41 degrees Celsius.

Meteorological officer Michalis Mouskos said yesterday was the hottest day since the summer began. "The summer entered very mildly, so this rise in temperature was very sudden," said Mouskos. "We were expecting around 39 degrees, but it reached 41. It is to be expected for this time of year."He said the average temperature for June was around 34 degrees.

But he added: "If we look back over the past 10 to 15 Junes and take the average temperature, this would be 40 degrees. This means certain days in June are traditionally hotter than others. So we shouldn't be baffled by this".

As of today and tomorrow, the meteorological services are expecting a two-degree drop in temperatures, to around 39 degrees. "This doesn't mean we won't have heatwave conditions by midday and early afternoon," said Mouskos. "At these times the temperatures, in combination with the humidity levels which may not be that high, but they are high enough to provoke that feeling of serious discomfort, there could be heatwave conditions."

However, he said the exceptionally high temperatures didn't mean the whole summer was expected to be a scorcher.

"I wouldn't say that because we exceeded 40 degrees today we will have a hot summer," said Mouskos. "Two summers ago, if I remember correctly, June and July were quite mild whereas August literally torched us. It was that time that we reached the record 46 degrees. The entire month of August was a heatwave, even though the previous two months were mild."

Source: Cyprus Mail