The major towns of Cyprus were sprinkled with snow showers on Thursday as Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol briefly turned white.

Ski pistes are open in the Troodos mountains and the Pentadakylos mountains in the occupied areas were covered in snow by Thursday morning.

The snow in Nicosia began at around 12.30pm and had stopped by less than an hour later but lasted long enough for residents of the capital to enjoy the rare spectacle.

There were also reports of snowfall in Larnaca and, from around 8am onwards in Limassol, while snow could be seen the foothills of mountains near Paphos and Limassol from early morning.

According to the Meteorological Service, temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend but, until then, drivers are advised to take particular care on the icy roads.

Many roads up to Troodos are also open only to drivers of four wheel drive vehicles or those fitted with snow chains.

Despite occurring a couple of times over the last couple of years, snowfall is very rare on the lower plains of Cyprus.