Last month, wet conditions swept aside April's largely settled weather to irrigate parched fields ahead of the dry summer season, the Met Office said Wednesday.
In fact, rainfall in May exceeded the climatic norm, as a low-pressure system that formed over Algeria brought unstable weather to the central Mediterranean, resulting in a storm over the Maltese Islands towards the middle of the month.
The Meteorological Office recorded 36.6 mm of rainfall throughout May, with this total exceeding the average quota for the month by 26.3 mm. This means that out of the first five months of the year, three (February, March, and May) were wetter than usual, while two (January and April) were drier.
Almost the entirety of the month's total precipitation fell on 15 May, when a thunderstorm with strong gusts swept over the Maltese Islands. That day was also the dullest of the month, with just one hour of sunshine recorded.
May wasn't short of windy days either, with an average wind speed of 9.3 knots, which is slightly above the climatic norm. The strongest gust of the month was also recorded on the 15th of May, blowing from the south-southeast and reaching up to 35 knots.
Temperature-wise, the last month of the meteorological spring was 1.6°C warmer than average, with a monthly mean of 21.6°C. The highest temperature was 28.7°C on 5 May, while the coldest night fell on the 3 May, with the mercury dropping to 15.1°C.