Following last weekend's unsettled weather, the coming days are expected to bring a return to warmer and calmer conditions, ushering in what is locally known as is-sajf ta' San Martin. Over the next few days, the Meteorological Office is forecasting a notable rise in temperatures, with the maximum temperature expected to reach 29°C by Sunday.
This shift will be caused by a high-pressure system building over the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, typically associated with mid-November weather conditions known locally as is-sajf ta' San Martin (in English Indian Summer). During this period, almost stationary high-pressure systems over the Mediterranean block incoming storm systems, resulting in dry and stable weather, characterised by light winds, clear skies, and temperatures above the seasonal norm. In essence, it's a brief pause from the cooler autumn weather and a short return to more summery conditions.
For the upcoming weekend, the Meteorological Office is predicting sunny and warm weather, particularly on Sunday. Between Friday (24 October), when moderate to strong northwesterly winds are expected, and Sunday (26th October), when winds will veer to a light south-southwesterly breeze, temperatures are expected to rise by around 5°C, reaching 29°C, which is four degrees higher than the mean maximum temperature for the month.
However, this summer-like weather will not last long. By Monday morning, winds are expected to shift northwesterly again and increase in strength, causing temperatures to drop, peaking at 22°C on Tuesday (28 October).
Meanwhile, despite last weekend's unsettled conditions, particularly on Saturday evening, October still remains short of its monthly rainfall quota of 77.8 mm. Between Saturday and Sunday, 11 mm of rain were recorded, bringing the month's total so far to 71 mm.
The weather forecast may vary from one day to another. For the latest official weather forecast please visit maltairport.com.mt/weather.
DRY START TO THE PRECIPITATION YEAR
September, which marks the beginning of the new precipitation year, was significantly drier than average. The Meteorological Office recorded just 7.4 mm of rain during the month; 51.8 mm below the September quota.
The mean temperature of 25.6°C was also slightly above the climatic norm for September (24.9°C). The highest temperature of the month was 34.4°C, recorded on 2nd September, while the lowest, 18.1°C, was measured during the last night the month.
September was also sunnier than average, with a mean of 9.3 hours of sunshine per day, though less windy than usual, with an average wind speed of 6.2 knots.