Malta Registered Its Wettest Autumn Since 1999, Met Office Says
This autumn was the wettest to hit Malta since 1999 with 413.2mm of rainfall recorded, according to the Meteorological Office.
In a statement, the office said that according to established climate norms, the country has already seen 83% of the total rainfall expected in one “precipitation year” which runs from September to August.
While September saw little to no rain, with a measly 18.4mm of rain recorded, October and November saw 246.2mm and 148.6mm respectively.
A total of 17 thunderstorms were reported with the “most severe and widespread” ones hitting the island on October 25th and November 25th.
During the last three days of November, the Met Office said it had issued three strong wind warnings, with speeds increasing to gale force on the penultimate day of the month.
On November 29, the season’s maximum gust of 52 knots was recorded. This was much more violent than September’s and October’s maximum gusts of 26 knots and 38 knots.
The mean air temperature in November was 0.6°C higher than the norm of 17.6°C. Air temperature eventually dropped to 9.9°C on the last day of the season.
The highest temperature of 34°C was reached in September, which was also warmer than expected.
The season’s bouts of inclement weather were balanced by 575.3 hours of sunshine clocked between September and November. However, this total did not measure up to the 651.5 sunshine hours expected in autumn.
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