This December was very rainy, making it the wettest month of the year. It reached 116% of the usual rainfall. The rain mostly fell in the first and third weeks of the month, leading to an average total of 122.8 millimeters, according to the Meteorological Department.
Even with this good news for Cyprus, some areas—especially the southern slopes of the Troodos Mountains that feed the southern pipeline reservoirs—saw below-average rainfall. For example, Kannaviou Dam got 86% of normal, Pano Panagia 83%, Kouris Dam 84%, Saittas only 65%, Germasogeia Dam 82%, Lefkara Dam 84%, and Kellaki 91%.
The lowest rainfall was in central-eastern areas, while the highest amounts in free areas were in northern and northwestern Troodos, mainly around Kampos and Stavros tis Psokas, as well as in Polis Chrysochous. In the occupied territories, western Pentadaktylos near Kyparissovouno saw over 400 millimeters of rain.
Even though December ended with average rainfall above 100% of normal, water inflows into reservoirs are still disappointing for this time of year. This is because of a long drought over the past three years and a very dry autumn in 2025, which left underground aquifers and rivers nearly dry. Plus, reservoir catchment areas received less rain since no weather systems have brought strong rains to the southern slopes of Troodos yet.
The good news is that the ground is now mostly saturated. With more rain expected soon, this should help runoff into reservoirs. However, we need much higher rainfall levels and a winter with clearly above-normal precipitation to ensure enough water reserves, especially in catchment areas.
In conclusion, while December’s average rainfall was similar to last year’s, the overall hydrological year from October 1 to December’s end was much better last year. It had 203.9 millimeters (106% of normal) compared to this year’s 159.2 millimeters (83%). We are now hoping for improvements in water reserves in the next quarter.
