The independent weather forecasting service www.FirstMalta.com is predicting rain, thunderstorms and hail on Saturday and Sunday. The latest prediction and computer models, the service said in a statement, are now also showing a chance of thunderstorms and hail as well. Wind is also expected to strong with wind gusts expected to reach gale force at times during rainy periods.

Malta will also will start to experience  typical winter temperatures as from Saturday. "Our long term weather prediction computer models are confirming that lower temperatures are coming," the statement said. The daily high temperature is expected to tumble to 16 degrees Celsius (high) on Saturday and even lower than that on Sunday. While this in reality is nothing impressive and cannot be considered as cold it is still much better than the average 19 degrees daily highs we have been experiencing for the last weeks.

The real breakthrough in wintry season, long awaited, may finally be around the corner. This is happening just as the anticyclone, which wreaked havoc during the last two months, as it brought uncharacteristic sun and heat, has nearly completely dissipated. Temperatures soared all over southern Europe and the Mediterranean, due to this Anti-Cyclone which developed over Northern Africa towards late October and slowly moved north to cover the Mediterranean and southern Europe starting early November and persisting throughout to the end of the year.

FirstMalta.com ‘s latest weather prediction models indicate that the first light rain is to reach various parts of Malta on Saturday early morning at around 6am continuing until 2pm (Saturday afternoon). Rain would start again at around 8pm and a thunderstorm is expected to reach the islands over night, rain is expected to continue until Sunday afternoon and later would dissipate. Nevertheless on Monday temperatures are expected to plummet with a High of 13C and 8C at night. We haven’t experienced such temperatures yet this January.