In less than 24 hours, 36.3 mm of rain fell across the Maltese Islands on Thursday – more than three times the monthly average for May, which stands at 10.3 mm, the Met Office said Friday.
These wet conditions were brought about by a low-pressure system that developed over Algeria and moved across the central Mediterranean, bringing unstable weather, including heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and strong winds.
The weather is expected to start settling again, although isolated showers may still be expected today. The wind will remain rather strong to strong from the West-Northwest, blowing at Force 5 to 6, the Met Office said.
While cloudy conditions are forecast for Saturday morning, clearer weather is expected later in the day, with winds remaining moderate. On Sunday and throughout the following days, sunny and stable weather is expected to return, with maximum temperatures once again soaring above 26°C.
April: Mixed bag of spring weather, but drier than usual
As spring settled in across the Maltese Islands, April brought a mix of pleasant weather and occasional instability, including a few gloomy days marked by Saharan haze. Despite the odd unsettled spell, the month was significantly drier than average.
Only 3.6 mm of rain were recorded in April, marking a shortfall of 15.1 mm when compared to the monthly climatic norm. The first thunderstorm of the month occurred on the 1st of April. Following a stretch of fair and warm conditions, particularly during Holy Week and Easter, more unsettled weather returned at the end of the month, with the second thunderstorm occurring on the 29th of April.
The record for Malta’s wettest April remains changed. In 1994, the Meteorological Office recorded an impressive 118.4 mm of rainfall.
April’s average temperature of 16.5°C aligned with the climatic norm. The warmest day was the last of the month, when temperatures climbed to 23.4°C. The coldest night came earlier in the month, on the 3rd of April, with a minimum temperature of 9.5°C.
Wind speeds were also close to average, with a mean average wind speed of 9.4 knots. The strongest gust of the month was recorded on Wednesday of Holy Week (April 16), blowing from the southeast and reaching 34 knots.
The generally fair weather throughout most of the month contributed to sunnier-than-usual conditions. April averaged around 9 hours of sunshine per day. The brightest day was Good Friday, with 12 hours of sunshine recorded, while the dullest was April 14, which remained completely overcast.