It is now about 15-17 degrees at night here in North Cyprus and I have at least two shirts, quilted jacket, long underwear and a hat when I’m sitting outside.
I took the Duvet out when the temperature went down to 22-25 at night. My friends in Sweden laugh at me but we do not autumn and spring like in Sweden. Here it is warm then cold, the gradual temperature change hardly exists.
I have experienced funny situations when I have been sitting outside at a café wearing everything from boots to gloves when suddenly a group of tourists in shorts and tank tops walk by and stare at me like I am crazy (I get chills just from looking at them).
When I first came here I was the same. I went out wearing only a T-shirt and shorts and smiled to myself when I saw the locals in full winter gear.
Now I have been here for more than 10 years and I am more local than a local. My body has become accustomed to the heat here.
One year I was in Sweden at the end of September and there was a record heatwave of around 22 degrees. People were dressed in summer clothes and there’s me shivering so much that my teeth chattered, thank goodness for Helly Hansen-sweaters.
Everyone laughed at me until I explained that I came from Cyprus were it is 46 degrees; so the temperature difference was 24 degrees. It is rather like being thrown from summer heat to winter cold; anyway that’s what it felt like to me.
It is fortunate that the body is so adaptable; otherwise it would be hard the other way; to cope with the heat of summer. Given that our winter is so short it doesn’t really matter, it just a little harder to deal with temperature drop.
Similarly, the absolute hottest period is short and it is not a problem because when it is at its warmest in the afternoon you get to have a siesta which is both beautiful and useful.
The weather we have here is called, semi-arid subtropical climate, characterized by hot summers, warm winters and little rainfall.
That means we have few rainy days concentrated in the winter months. What we call a lot of rain is when it’s raining on and off for about 4 days. In autumn we have impressive storms but they last only a short time, maybe 1-2 days and it is a wonderful experience. That is followed by some sunny days so we get the chance to enjoy some sun.
In total we have about 20-25 days of rain throughout the year. Not much to complain about. We rejoice when it rains, everything is lush and green and the water reserves filled.
During the winter the temperature can drop down to 10-12 degrees at night, sometimes slightly lower in the mountains where there also may be a few centimetres of snow. But it rarely settles so it’s hard to take pictures of it.
During the summer it is around 30-32 degrees except during July and mid-August when it can sail up over 40 degrees; therefore it is best to head to the sea where it is cooler.
So here we have not much to complain about, a truly wonderful climate almost throughout the entire year.
The average sea temperatures
As you can see, it is coldest in the water between February and March. It is much like the sea in Sweden in June. There are those who swim all year round, for example like Sal Misal at NCM.
I personally find it freezing so I do not go into sea until it’s at least 25 degrees in the water.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
18 ° C 17 ° C 17 ° C 18 ° C 20 ° C 24 ° C 26 ° C 27 ° C 27 ° C 25 ° C 22 ° C 19 ° C
In the summer time all water depots can dry out and there is a shortage of drinking water in many places. To remedy this Cyprus has made an agreement with Turkey to import water through an underwater pipeline along the seabed, covering a distance of about 65 km.
