Were you born in a wet year? Or a dry year?

According to the data, Cyprus was seriously soggy in 1951, 1966 and 1968 – if you were born over one of those winters, you’re a water baby!

Then we get the children of the sun, who came into the world in 1973, 1991 and 2007 – amongst the island’s driest years on record.

In some ways, it’s a generational split. Back in the first half of the 20th century, our skies were much more generous – delivering an average of over 540 millimetres of rain a year. Ask yiayia and pappou what Cyprus winters were like, and they’ll tell you about rain – proper rain. Especially in the winter of 1966-1967: Cyprus’ wettest on record, with almost 800 millimetres of rainfall – almost double the current average of 471 mm a year.

Of course, Cyprus has always been a land of extremes. November 2024 was practically biblical: rainfall reached 150 per cent of the monthly average – streets flooded, umbrellas flipped and everyone briefly complained about mud rather than dust.

Fast-forward 12 months, and we’re back to déjà-dry. Last month was one of the least rainy Octobers on record – even the meteorological service admitted this week that the island may be heading into a fourth consecutive drought year.

Which brings us to this week’s weather. Remember last week’s bold promise of rain for this weekend? Well… the skies changed their minds. Again. And suddenly, the government is toying with the idea of ‘making it rain’: sprinkling silver iodide into promising clouds in a kind of atmospheric persuasion!

While we’re waiting for our futuristic cloud seeding, the weather’s doing the usual: the odd isolated shower; nothing to write home about.

Forecasts now hint at showers mid-next week instead, meaning we’re only ever six days away from the promised rain! Still, this is historically one of Cyprus’ most dramatic months for weather swings – November 2024 brought rainfall at 150 per cent of the monthly average – so hope isn’t entirely lost.

In Nicosia, we’ll be seeing highs of around 27–28 °C, lows of 14–15 °C and the possibility of rain the following week.

Limassol and Larnaca will be flirting with thin cloud cover. Highs reach 28–29 °C, lows hover around 15–16 °C and humidity adds just enough cling to remind you you’re on an island.

Paphos, ever the over-achiever, offers a textbook Mediterranean weekend: 26 °C, calm seas, gentle evenings and the possibility of showers later into next week.

And while Ayia Napa stays in full-colour postcard mode at 25–26 °C, up in Troodos, there’s a whisper of seasonal change at last: highs of 13–18 °C and lows of 5–6 °C.

All of which means that this weekend is one for those who thrive on blue skies and bone-dry forecasts. For the rain-born among us, patience; November still has time to surprise.

  • Heritage Moment – Ask your grandparents about the weather in their youth.
  • BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) – A national hobby in the making.
  • Hydration Hack – Stay topped up; the dams certainly aren’t.
  • Troodos Trip – Perfect for pretending it’s autumn.
  • Forecast Faith – Keep believing. Every dry spell ends… eventually.