Cyprus Mail 23 January 2026 - by Morgan West
Sun, space, scenery. The beaches are gorgeous, the cafés are heaving, the sky is blue. The island that seems to have it all.
In many ways, it does. We swim before work, sit outside in January, drive from coast to peaks in under an hour. Neighbours still keep an eye out, children roam freely, and leaving your door unlocked is safe (mostly).
Life on this island feels generous. Spacious. Forgiving. There’s light, there’s warmth, there’s a sense – especially to outsiders – that Cyprus is cushioned from the harsher edges of the world.
And yet so few of us realise that much of our island life hangs on a knife edge…
Statistically speaking, Cyprus is one of the most resource-tight countries in the EU.
We all know about the water; we know the dams are emptier each year. But what’s less obvious is the balance we hang in: Cyprus uses around 71 per cent of its renewable freshwater resources – the highest figure in the EU, and well above the 40 per cent threshold that denotes severe water stress.
In per-capita terms, that’s pretty stark: there’s less than 500 cubic metres of renewable freshwater available per person per year (compared with an EU average closer to 4,000), which places us in the category of extreme water scarcity.
Then there’s energy. Cyprus is almost entirely dependent on imported fuels, with around 95 per cent of its primary energy needs coming from abroad – and no direct electricity interconnection to the rest of Europe.
At the same time, we have both the lowest circular material use rates (we hardly reuse or recycle anything), and the highest amount of food waste per capita in the EU.
Basically, if the zombie apocalypse hits tomorrow, Cyprus will be dehydrated, powerless, and swimming in its own waste before you can say Nik’s my uncle!
Now, we already know what happens when just one system fails. The 2011 Mari explosion crashed nearly half the island’s electricity generation overnight; consecutive dry years have pushed dam levels to record lows, forcing costly emergency desalination; and illegal dumping of rubbish is now a national issue.
Each event is different. But the lesson is the same: on a small island with tight margins, a single shock doesn’t stay contained. It spreads. Quickly.
Which is why small shifts matter here. Because in a place balanced on a knife edge, even the weather can have consequences…
In Nicosia, Friday stays low-cloudy and cool at around 13°C. Saturday brings morning rain, heavy cloud, and highs around 12°C. But by Sunday, the capital warms to a cloudy 18°C.
On the coast, Limassol is milder: 17°C on Friday and Saturday with showers drifting through, then a calmer, sunnier turn on Sunday and Monday, both near 19°C. Larnaca is breezier, with cloud and scattered showers through Saturday, before settling into a sunnier 19°C from Sunday onwards.
Paphos sees the most persistent unsettled weather: cloud thickens on Friday, showers return on Saturday and Sunday, while Monday brings sunshine and 19°C. Ayia Napa echoes this: a blustery, showery 14°C on Friday and Saturday, eases into a calmer, warmer Sunday and Monday.
Up in Troodos (if you can get there!), it’s definitely winter. 5°C by day and down to freezing at night, with rain on Friday and Saturday, lingering cloud on Sunday, and a gradual brightening into Monday as temperatures lift towards 10°C. More snow, later in the week, is quite possible!
Okay, this may be fairly normal January weather. But, in Cyprus, we know how quickly the balance can tip. Last December, flooding in Polis closed roads and damaged houses. Over Easter, a touch of extreme weather caused power outages across many of the mountain villages.
In a place with margins this tight, normal is never neutral. In Cyprus, there’s little room for error!
