Three times the average rainfall for the month of September fell in just four hours in Nicosia on Monday, the met office said on Tuesday.
As such, Monday’s rainfall brought the total rainfall for the month so far to seven times its usual average.
It was not just Nicosia that saw a downpour though. The met office said in the village of Kornos, the average rainfall in September is 5.7 millimetres, but that almost 90mm has fallen in the village so far this month.
Meanwhile, in Athienou, where the average rainfall in September is just shy of 5mm, a total of 63mm has fallen this month so far.
The village of Eptagonia has seen the most rainfall of anywhere in Cyprus so far this month, with a total of 136mm.
The police and the fire brigade had to intervene after the rain brought Nicosia’s traffic to a standstill on Monday afternoon, with cars on some main roads in Strovolos and Engomi stranded due to flash floods.
As such, the police “provided assistance to the drivers” of the stranded vehicles, according to the Cyprus News Agency.
Fire brigade spokesman Andreas Kettis wrote on social media that the fire brigade had received 12 callouts to open rainwater drains across Nicosia, with three crews being deployed to carry out the job.
Meanwhile, in the mountains, conditions were more serious, with torrential rain causing landslides on the road between Platres and Troodos, with heavy fog also hitting the area.
