The extended high pressure system covering the coasts of Africa as well as the Western and Central Mediterranean which is accompanied by very warm and relatively dry air masses, is expanding further east and will be affecting Cyprus until next Monday, the Cyprus Department of Meteorology said in a press release on Wednesday.

According to the EMMA warning, issued by the Department of Meteorology, for the high temperature conditions expected to affect Cyprus from  Thursday, July 13, the maximum temperature is expected to reach and/or exceed 40 οC mainly in inland areas and 32 οC over the highest mountainous areas.

Its maximum values are expected – at least with the available forecast data so far – for Friday and Saturday, July 14 and 15, respectively, to reach 42 οC or even 43 οC in inland areas, while over the highest mountainous areas to range around 34-36 οC. The minimum temperatures will also be noticeably higher than normal.

"The extended high pressure system covering the coasts of Africa as well as the Western and Central Mediterranean which is accompanied by very warm and relatively dry air masses, is expanding further east and will be affecting Cyprus until next Monday".

The heat wave, which is part of the Dangerous Weather Phenomena, was given the name “Cleon”, on the context of the tripartite cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel. The heat wave was named not only for its expected intensity in relation to the very high temperatures (both the maximum and the minimum temperatures) but also for its duration.

The Department says that there will be continuous monitoring of the evolution of the phenomenon, with continuous updating and corresponding grading of the warning in question, by the Sector of Synoptic and Aeronautical Meteorology of the Department, while these warnings will be immediately available to the general public, both through the Department’s website (http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/dm/dm.nsf/home_en/home_en?OpenForm) as well as through the Twitter’s social network site (https://twitter.com/CyMeteorology).

The EMMA yellow warning issued by the Department for Thursday, July 13, is valid from 11 h until 18 h. It says that the maximum temperature is expected to reach 40 C inland and around 32 over the highest mountainious areas. On Friday and Saturday the temperature is expected to further increase.