Torrential rain fell on Paphos for about half an hour from 3pm on Wednesday, leaving the Peyia-Lara road impassable after a river overflowed, police said. The downpour also set the waterfall at Agios Neophytos Monastery in Tala flowing again.
The afternoon rain also caused serious traffic problems in the Pissouri and Petra tou Romiou area.
The downpour marked the start of the severe weather the Department of Meteorology had warned about.
Police urged drivers to avoid the Peyia-Lara road and to take particular care on the roads, as heavy rain could create dangerous conditions. Drivers should not try to cross roads where water has gathered or rivers have overflowed, and should follow the instructions of the authorities, police said.
The waterfall appears right next to the Enkleistra, the saint’s hermitage, and falls from the mountain into an irrigation channel built for the monastery’s crops. Tourists who were visiting the monastery when the rain began watched it flow.
