Rainy weather is expected to bring November to a close and usher in the meteorological winter, the MET office said.
The Meteorological Office is forecasting further isolated showers, possibly thundery and even with hail, between today (Thursday 27th November) and tomorrow, Friday.
"This unstable weather is the result of a low-pressure system currently positioned over the central Mediterranean, which is expected to move eastwards from tomorrow onward."
The Meteorological Office has already issued a warning stating that isolated showers, possibly with hail, thunder, and strong gusts of wind, are expected to affect the Maltese Islands in the coming hours. The same warning may be renewed through Friday.
"Despite occasional showers here and there, November is still slightly behind its monthly rainfall quota of 89.0 mm. The weekend is also expected to be characterised by isolated showers and rather strong northwesterly winds. Westerly to northwesterly wind is expected to strengthen from this afternoon, reaching Force 4 to 5, and will persist until Sunday morning, at times veering to north-northwest."
Temperatures are also expected to drop, with daytime highs ranging between 18°C and 16°C, which is close to the December mean maximum of 17.2°C. It said that overnight temperatures will range between 13°C and 12°C, although the northwesterly wind may make it feel even colder, especially during the night.
A brief look at the first days of December suggests that Monday 1st December may bring a return to partly cloudy conditions, though further unstable weather is expected later in the week.
October drier but slightly cooler than average
October failed to deliver enough rainfall to exceed the monthly quota of 77.8 mm. Throughout the past month, the Meteorological Office recorded 71.2 mm of rain.
"The first half of the month was wetter than the second, which brought more stable weather conditions. During October, four thunderstorms approached the Maltese Islands, one fewer than the monthly norm. Despite the late October taste of what is locally known as Is-Sajf ta' San Martin (Indian Summer) the month was slightly cooler than usual, with a 0.4°C difference between the mean temperature (21.3°C) and the climatic norm (21.7°C)."
October was not short of windy days either, with an average wind speed of 8.7 knots (compared to the norm of 7.4 knots). The strongest gust of the month blew over the Maltese Islands from the west-northwest on October 27th.