Short But Intense: Malta’s Forecasters Break Down Tonight’s Prediction Of ‘Below Freezing’ Temperatures
Malta might’ve woken up to a beautifully sunny and clear day today, but if all the local forecasters are to be believed, it’s going to be one brutally cold night on the islands.
With the ever-strong winds predicted to get even stronger and the already rather low temperatures set to dip even further, here’s what forecasters are saying about a night that could very well end up being the closest Malta will ever get to a White Christmas (as in, still pretty darn far).
For an island used to celebrating the festive period in a T-shirt, these last couple of days have been particularly cold by Malta’s standards. So what’s so special about this weekend?
From the get-go, you can already tell why tonight is significant: the Malta International Airport’s official forecast page is expecting lows of 7°C tonight, a relatively uncommon occurrence on the Mediterranean island.
But it seems like the wind will only make things worse. In fact, earlier this week, Facebook forecasting page Malta Weather warned that the main culprit of the incoming cold snap is a “continental North Northeast Force 7 wind” (read: Grigal) which is expected to hit the islands early on Sunday morning.
“This wind, along with dry air, will drive the wind-chill factor to below freezing with soft hail also a slight possibility,” the page said, quoting a rather high 70% confidence in its forecast.
The good news is that tonight’s temperatures – which could very well end up dropping to “below freezing” during those early hours of the morning – are set to be intense, but short-lived.
“An expanse of low pressure from over the Balkans will be bringing rather cold temperatures over the weekend,” another forecasting page, Aġġornament tat-Temp, explained a couple of days ago.
“Next Saturday will be the climax, where the night is concretely indicated to touch 6°C!” the page continued.
“This low pressure will not last long over us, and the weather is expected to switch to higher temperatures from Monday onwards due to an area of high pressure which will extend from the western coast,” Aġġornament reassured.
And it shows – by tomorrow, both the high and the low temperatures are predicted to budge up by a couple of degrees.
And while tonight might not hit Malta’s January 1981 all-time record of 1.4°C, that furiously strong wind chill could very easily make it one for the small talk history books.
Whether Malta will wake up to white-ish streets in some localities like it has before or just have one of those nights when that bone-biting cold just feels extra chilly, we’d probably recommend putting on an extra layer if you’re heading out tonight.
Tag someone who loves the cold weather… and someone who already can’t wait for summer!
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