Just when we thought that this year we wouldn't see our mountains dressed in white, last Saturday graced us with the first snowfall. As reported by Kitasweather, the first brief snowfall occurred last Saturday afternoon in Troodos and lasted just five minutes. However, the snowfall continued until Sunday, resulting in a snow depth of 3 centimeters at the Jubilee Hotel, while in Chionistra, the snow depth reached 10 centimeters.

The latest snow measurement in Chionistra was recorded at 08:40 today (15/01/2024) and is at 8 centimeters.

The weather over the next ten days, particularly in the early days, will be relatively stable and will range between 2 - 4 degrees Celsius in Chionistra, followed by a slight increase. 

Towards the end, a partial drop in temperature will be noted. It is predicted that in the higher areas of Troodos, there will be sleet and not snowfall, so it remains unknown for skiers whether they will enjoy their favorite hobby enough this year. Avant Garde asked Mr. Eric Kitas when we could predict the start of operation of the ski slopes. He stated:

"Most likely, some slopes will open in February. Half a meter of snow is needed for this to be feasible and not for all slopes, as the terrain morphology plays a role." He also noted that "this year is not a good one for skiers. 

They will have very little time to enjoy their favorite sport and I recommend not to postpone the opportunity to ski when it arises, because it will not last long. The period of weather conditions that will make this possible will be very short. Only with the worsening weather conditions will they be able to enjoy it more, but this is a remote scenario, as it happens once every 30 years."

All roads to Troodos are open, with the Cyprus Police advising great caution on the roads.

Source: Avant Garde