Nicosia climate
Nicosia (Cyprus) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C70 °F, and about 340 mm13 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Nicosia climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1558 | 847 | 1253 | 833.3 |
| Feb | 1660 | 948 | 1254 | 512.0 |
| Mar | 1966 | 1050 | 1558 | 281.1 |
| Apr | 2374 | 1356 | 1865 | 140.6 |
| May | 2883 | 1763 | 2373 | 100.4 |
| Jun | 3493 | 2272 | 2882 | 20.1 |
| Jul | 3798 | 2577 | 3188 | 00.0 |
| Aug | 3798 | 2577 | 3188 | 10.0 |
| Sep | 3391 | 2373 | 2882 | 60.3 |
| Oct | 2882 | 1966 | 2374 | 200.8 |
| Nov | 2171 | 1457 | 1864 | 381.5 |
| Dec | 1762 | 1051 | 1356 | 853.4 |
| Year | 3798 | 847 | 2170 | 34013 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 68% | 2.4 | 10:02 |
| Feb | 76% | 64% | 3.3 | 10:52 |
| Mar | 72% | 57% | 4.7 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 64% | 52% | 6.0 | 13:02 |
| May | 56% | 42% | 6.9 | 13:00 |
| Jun | 48% | 25% | 7.7 | 14:31 |
| Jul | 46% | 22% | 7.5 | 14:18 |
| Aug | 50% | 22% | 6.7 | 13:28 |
| Sep | 54% | 26% | 5.7 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 60% | 43% | 4.1 | 11:14 |
| Nov | 68% | 55% | 2.9 | 10:16 |
| Dec | 75% | 66% | 2.2 | 9:48 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Nicosia is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 37 °C98 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 15 °C58 °F and lows 8 °C47 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 19.5 °C35 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 340 mm13 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 65% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: April–October. The wettest month is December (85 mm3.4 in), the driest is July (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 46% in July to 77% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 22%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in October to 13 km/h (8 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Nicosia
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–May and October and November: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 10 mm0.4 in to 38 mm1.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is hot, with average highs of 37 °C98 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Nicosia
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1558 to 17 °C62 °F, lows 847 to 10 °C51 °F, about 73 mm2.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1966 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1050 to 17 °C63 °F, about 17 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3493 to 37 °C98 °F, lows 2272 to 25 °C77 °F, about 1 mm0.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2171 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 1457 to 23 °C73 °F, about 21 mm0.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Nicosia compares
Compared with Alanya, about 195 km to the northwest, Nicosia is on average 0.7 °C1.2 °F cooler and receives 64% less precipitation (340 mm13 in vs 939 mm37 in). The difference is largest in December (2.3 °C4.1 °F cooler).
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Sidon (Lebanon, BSh), Qasr Bin Ghashir (Libya, BSh) and Hamah (Syria, BSh).
Nearby places
- Limassol 62 km · 21 °C71 °F · 374 mm15 in
- Silifke 144 km · 20 °C69 °F · 640 mm25 in
- Alanya 195 km · 22 °C71 °F · 939 mm37 in
- Mersin 216 km · 21 °C69 °F · 514 mm20 in
- Karaman 224 km · 13 °C56 °F · 614 mm24 in
- Latakia 225 km · 21 °C70 °F · 686 mm27 in
- Tartus 233 km · 21 °C70 °F · 631 mm25 in
- Tarsus 238 km · 21 °C69 °F · 574 mm23 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Nicosia?
July is the warmest month in Nicosia, with an average high of 37 °C (98 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Nicosia?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 15 °C (58 °F) and an average low of 8 °C (47 °F).
When does it rain the most in Nicosia?
December is the wettest month with about 85 mm (3.4 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Nicosia?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–May and October and November.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 298 m, while Nicosia lies at about 155 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.9 °C1.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.