Paphos in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Paphos sees average daytime highs around 15°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 211 mm of rain over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early December to 15°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Paphos's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Paphos's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 15°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 211 mm
- 28 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.9
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Paphos in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early December to 15°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Paphos reaches about 15°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
Paphos weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15° / 11° | 76 | 10 | 9.9 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 15° / 11° | 55 | 8.1 | 10.7 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 16° / 13° | 35 | 6.4 | 11.7 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 19° / 15° | 19 | 4.3 | 12.8 | 7.3 |
| May | 22° / 18° | 10 | 2.5 | 13.8 | 8.7 |
| Jun | 26° / 22° | 2 | 0.5 | 14.3 | 9.2 |
| Jul | 29° / 25° | 0 | 0.1 | 14.1 | 8.1 |
| Aug | 29° / 25° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.3 | 7.7 |
| Sep | 27° / 23° | 4 | 1.1 | 12.2 | 8.8 |
| Oct | 24° / 21° | 16 | 3.5 | 11.1 | 8.7 |
| Nov | 20° / 17° | 41 | 5.7 | 10.2 | 7.4 |
| Dec | 16° / 13° | 79 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 5.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Paphos gets around 211 mm of rain over 28 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 13 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.1 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Paphos?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Paphos for sightseeing.
What to pack for Paphos in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Paphos sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 28 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Paphos in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 18°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 17°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 11 to Dec 7 — about 6.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 19 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 17 | Cool |
| Apr | 18 | Cool |
| May | 21 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 24 | Warm |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Warm |
| Sep | 27 | Warm |
| Oct | 25 | Warm |
| Nov | 22 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 19 | Cool |
UV index in Paphos in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Paphos peaks around August 10 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Paphos in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Paphos is worst in March — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Paphos's WHO annual average of 15.4 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 17 | 16 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 12 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Moderate |
| Feb | 16 | Moderate |
| Mar | 20 | Moderate |
| Apr | 17 | Moderate |
| May | 18 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 14 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 15 | Moderate |
| Dec | 12 | Moderate |
Where is Paphos?
Paphos sits at 34.8°N, 32.4°E, 81 m above sea level, in Cyprus. The nearest listed city is Káto Polemídia, 53 km away.
Topography around Paphos
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Paphos.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Paphos has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m around an average of 68 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 682 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,946 m.
The land around Paphos is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) within 3 km, water (51%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and water (62%) within 80 km.
Cyprus travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type G
- 240 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 65% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $41,783
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.1 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 100%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 5.8
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 537
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Paphos (34.7768°, 32.4245°, elevation 81 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.