Here are some cool takeaways from that mini meteorology lesson:

‘Showers’ vs. ‘Rain’
Showers are sporadic and only affect limited spaces, whereas rain falls steadily for a
longer period, across wider areas.

Don’t get too excited at the term ‘possible showers’
This only tells us that it is likely to rain. It’s all in the clouds! Rain falls from horizontal, layered clouds known as stratiform clouds. We get showers, possibly with thunder, lightning and hail from convective clouds, which are vertical and more common in early winter just after the summer heat.

‘Imma kif ħdejna xemx tisreġ u banda oħra nieżla x-xita?!’
Because it’s actually rather tricky to indicate exactly where showers will hit on small
islands like Malta and Gozo. So, if you see phrases like ‘locally’ or ‘localised’ in a weather
forecast, know that it means that showers, thunderstorms or strong winds will only
affect specific areas.

How much rainfall should we expect throughout the year?
The average rainfall per precipitation year (between September and
August) in the Maltese Islands is 543.4 mm. The last precipitation year, which ended last
August, was slightly wetter than usual as 544.8 mm of rainfall was noted.The rainfall measured between 1 September (the start of the new precipitation year) and 9 November 2023 amounts to 26.8 mm, which is lower than average.

What’s your favourite kind of weather? Let us know in the comments below.