The Maltese islands are being hit by strong winds that started on Tuesday evening with highest gusts from a northeasterly direction registered at the Airport 43 knots, Rabat 36 knots, Msida 37 knots, Nadur 40 knots, Victoria 37 knots and Mellieha an extremely high gust of 58 knots (Force 11), according to Malta Weather Services.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Civil Protection Department confirmed to MaltaMedia News that there were no serious accidents. However, he explained that members of the CPD were called at several localities to carry out various operations, including the clearing up of debris from trees and walls that fell off in the streets.
Additionally, in a press release, Malta Weather Services stated that last month was the wettest January for at least 20 years since rainfall records began at Balzan in 1985, Malta Weather Services reported. With a total of 222.4mm, the rainfall was above the average by 129.3mm or more than double the mean January rainfall of 93.1mm. The previous wettest January since 1985 was 210.7mm in January 1992.
There were 23 days of rain during January. This was also another record beating the previous record of 20 days of rain in 2000 by three days. The heaviest downpour occurred on the 9th with a total of 55.5 mm. There were also 16 days with thunderstorms and 11 days with hail, both values being the highest ever for any month of the year since at least 1985.
Other notable rainfall totals for January 2006 were: Iklin 245.0mm, Mosta 261.0mm, Naxxar 242.8mm, San Ġwann 241.7mm, Qormi 247.8mm, Baħar ic-Cagħaq 239.0mm, Msida 247.7mm, M’Scala 224.8mm, Paola 235.2mm, Żabbar 234.2mm, Vittoriosa 242.3mm, Żurrieq 230.7mm, Siġġiewi 224.8mm, Żebbuġ (Malta) 236.7mm, Rabat (Malta) 234.3mm, Mġarr 252.1mm, Qawra 262.0mm and Mellieħa 239.2mm.
Moreover, January, with a mean temperature of 11.6°C, was the second coldest January since 1987 and was cooler by 1.5°C, than the average of the past 18 years. Besides, the mean maximum temperature for January 2006 of just 13.8°C was the lowest ever since temperature records began.
Malta Weather Services also reported that the coldest day in January was on the 24th with a high of just 10.6°, while the coldest nights were on the 24th and 26th with lows of just 4.7 degrees. There was also a low of only 4.0° at the Airport on the 25th. The warmest day in January was on the 29th with a high of only 16.8°C. This was almost 3° below the mean of 19.6°. The warmest January day on record occurred on 28th January 1988 with a balmy 22.2°. The coldest January night ever was on 7th January 2002 with 3.9°.
Malta Weather Services Director Mark Vella Gera explained that all this wet and cold weather was the result of various low-pressure systems and their associated warm/cold fronts passing over or forming close to the central Mediterranean, bringing cold air from central Europe and Siberia, which contrasted with the warmer air over the Mediterranean. Thereby resulting in heavy downpours on more than one occasion in January. Other days had rainfall due to upper-level troughs forming over or extending to the central Mediterranean.
See MaltaWeather.com for the latest live weather reports from various locations around the Maltese islands, as well as a 5-day weather forecast.
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