A record low temperature of -3.7C was reported in Athalassa on Monday night, the lowest temperature recorded since the opening of the meteorological station in 1981 while Frenaros at -1.2C, reaching an all-time low in the area.

Monday night saw islandwide low temperatures dropping below zero in inland, extending to freezing -9C in Troodos.

In Troodos last night, temperatures ranged from -9.1C, -9C were recorded in Prodromos, -0.4C at Larnaca airport, and 0C at the new port of Limassol and 1C at Paphos airport.

Farmers in Larnaca and Famagusta said they were struggling to protect their crops from the frost of the past few days.

In an effort to save potatoes, vegetables, melons, bananas and fruit trees, they turned to overnight-watering, yet, many crops were already ruined and some crops could not be watered over night as the water froze, leading to further damage, the agricultural organisations said on Monday.

The freezing temperatures led to a record in electricity demand on Monday night, with authorities noting that the demand was “very close to maximum supply, reaching 1,108Mw at times”.

Larnaca and Limassol have started providing shelter for people affected by the cold, offering a heated day-centre for citizens in Larnaca and hotel stays covered by the municipalities in both cities.

Cyprus has been hit by the Siberian cold air mass “Coral” since last week bringing freezing temperatures and even snow to the island. Temperatures will gradually rise from Tuesday and will return to average climatic values of 15 to 17C on Thursday.