The Climate in Cyprus

The country of Cyprus has a sub-tropical climate with a summer dry season while sea breezes keep the coasts and mountains tolerably warm.

Summer stretches from mid-May to mid-October and features high temperatures, cloudless skies and cooling breezes from the sea. It’s the ideal season for swimming and whole range of water sports from sailing to scuba diving. The days of September and October are still sunny and the water warms enough for comfortable swimming and basically, its still summer.

Toward the end of October evenings do tend to get cooler. In October and through November the leaves change color in the Troodos and vineyards take on gold and crimson hues against a backdrop of crystal clear sunlight. Autumn also brings with it the annual Kypria festival, with prestigious local and international musical and dramatic performances at venues throughout Cyprus.

The months of winter are from December to January, bringing the possibility of rain, but still an average of 6 hours of bright sunshine a day. This is the time of year when smaller Mediterranean destinations shut down for the season but not for Cyprus. The island is a major business centre and has many important heritage sites and museums open even in winter.

The first orchids bloom in January in Cyprus and by mid-February the countryside is already alive with fresh green meadows and almond trees in bloom. March days can still be cool (daytime temperatures around 19°C and 9°C at night) but steadily moderate.