Brace Yourselves: Here’s Just How Strong The Wind Is About To Get In Malta This Week
The last couple of days in Malta have seen gradual decreases in temperatures and frequent (albeit short) bouts of rather heavy rainfall, but what this week’s weather has got in store for us is a completely different animal.
With days of isolated showers and cold nights of temperatures under 10°C (yes, that’s cold for Malta, even for this time of year), the main highlight of this week are the strong winds which will be hitting the islands very soon. While some forecasts are saying these strong gusts will start as early as tomorrow, most are in agreement that Thursday will be the peak. And seeing as that’s actually the first day of winter, it couldn’t have come at a more poetic time.
Gusts from the Northeast (that’s the notorious Grigal for you) will blow all the way to a speed of 32 knots over the afternoon. That tops the 50km/hr margin, shooting the Beaufort Scale all the way up to Force 7. And in simple English, that’s the first number on the scale that starts referring to wind as ‘gale’.
Force 7 winds are definitely to be reckoned with. They force the sea to heap up and set whole trees in motion. Effort will be needed to walk against the wind, and, according to the official Beaufort explanation, people on upper floors of very high buildings may also actually feel swaying.
Wednesday and Friday will also be very windy, and forecasts are registering possible Force 6 on both days, but next to the worst that Thursday is offering up, these shouldn’t be too out of the ordinary.
Winds in Malta have gotten stronger before. In February 2011, on one of the strongest gale force winds in Malta since 1948 registered 55 knots from the Northwest. Then, in November 2014, a cyclone brought the strongest winds ever recorded on the island, peaking at 64 knots (double the still worryingly-high predicted winds for this Thursday).
The weather for the rest of the week is a mixed bag of cloudy and rainy days, but the strong winds will make the whole thing feel pretty cold. Average highs will feel like 10°C on average, and while that will increase slightly over the weekend to 16°C, lows will still be startlingly fresh. On Saturday night, for example, one night before Christmas Eve, lows of 7°C are waiting for anyone who dares venture out of the house.
Forecasts by Maltairport.com
Until then, though, be wary of the strong winds hitting the islands over the next couple of days. Don’t do anything stupid, and be safe out there.
All Photos by Louisa Pace of beautifulskies_malta
Tag someone who needs to check this out!
READ NEXT: Things Maltese People Say When It Gets Cold
