A low pressure of 998hPa passing from west to eart over Sicily was the cause of the gale force winds experience late overnight on the 13th January 2010.

Some damage was caused with trees uprooted, paving tiles dislodged by the rough sea and debris washed ashore. At Marsalforn Gozo, the road along the beach was impassable as the seas dislodged the promenade's tiling, dragging some of the slabs onto the road. A concrete block holding some of the railings was also overturned.

Ċirkewwa also suffered structural damage as concrete slabs bordering the sea were broken apart and torn off their steel mesh. At least two cars were scratched and dented by debris blown about by the wind, one in Għaxaq and the other in Ċirkewwa.

Highest gusts were as follows - Melieha 104.0km/h (Force 11), Nadur 86.9km/h (Force 9), Rabat 83.7km/h (Force 9), 82.1km/h at Naxxar (Force 9), 80.4km/h at Zebbug Malta (Force 9), 78.8 km/h at Attard (Force 9), 74.0km/h at Mgarr Malta (Force 8), 70.8km/h at Zejtun (Force 8). Click on camera image above for some photos of damage caused.

An isolated thunderstorm at around noon affecting mainly Victoria in Gozo produced some large hail around 2cm in diameter (confirmed) or possibly even a bit bigger (not confirmed). The hail storm lasted around 10 minutes.

There was lots of wind shear on that day as can be seen on the sounding on the right.

A low pressure system with heavy rain showers, especially in the northeastern parts of Malta, produced a waterspout which lasted about 20-30 minutes at around 1.30pm. The only damage was caused to a yacht Fekruna which was taking part in a 15-nautical-mile warm-up race prior to the Middle Sea Race. The waterspout snapped the mast in two. Luckily no one was injured.

As reported in timesofmalta.com, Dr Kevin Dingli, owner of Fekruna, said "We could see the waterspout developing some way away. It was huge. It kept moving about, changing direction. At one point we gybed away from it, but it came back," explained Dingli. It all happened so quickly. When we realised we were going to be hit, we let go sheets. Then the wind caught us. We felt as though we were being lifted up, about to be thrown over, and then the mast snapped."

There was also some wind shear on that day although this was not too pronounced. However, the waterspout could have been produced in a convergence zone of surface winds. The highest 24-hour rainfall totals from noon of the 14th till noon of the 15th were: Kalkara 24.6mm and Zabbar 26.4mm.

Some photos of the waterspout can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic above.

A low pressure system with heavy rain and thunderstorms moving in an easterly direction over Sicily during the night of 1st/2nd October  killed at least 18 people in the Messina region but also affected Malta, although to a much lesser extent as no one was injured in Malta and no damage was caused,.

The highest rainfall totals were: Bahrija 76.8mm, Mellieha 71.8mm, Bahar ic-Caghaq 68.6mm, Qawra 63.1mm, Mosta 61.4mm, Kalkara 59.0mm, Valletta 50.8mm. Please note that most of this rainfall fell in just 45 minutes early in the morning at around 5am.

Some lightning photos can be viewed by clicking on camera pic above.

The strong east southeasterly wind on the 23rd whipped up rough seas in Birzebbuga and, to a lesser extent, Marsaxlokk. Two cabin cruisers broke their moorings in Birzebbuga. One ended up on the rocks and the other on the sandy beach. A smaller boat was smashed by the waves and quite a number of boats were quickly hauled ashore by their owners. In Mellieha a car was damaged when a tree fell on top of it. The highest wind speed in Mellieha was 98.1km/h (Force 10) at around 9.45pm with an average wind speed at around 10pm of 79.3km/h (Force 9). A gust of 70.8km (Force 8) from an easterly direction was also recorded at Mgarr at around 5.30pm.

A section of the bastion wall near police headquarters in Floriana collapsed on the 24th just before 10.30am, blocking the road. The wall borders Argotti Gardens and appears to have collapsed after this morning's heavy rain, most of which fell in just 45 minutes! A worker at the nearby National Audit Office said they had heard a loud rumbling noise, "like somebody digging underneath our office" as the wall came down in a cloud of dust. Soldiers from the AFM's Maritime Squadron, whose base is just down the road, were the first on the scene to render assistance. Rescuers of the Civil Protection Department checked that there was no one underneath the rubble.

The highest rainfall totals were: Sannat 68.6mm, Luqa 58.2mm,  Nadur 57.2mm, Victoria 54.8mm, Xaghra 52.6mm, Gudja 51.4mm, Tarxien 50.0mm. Please note that most of this rainfall fell in just 45 minutes early in the morning at around 5am.

The bad weather was caused by a very vigorous low pressure system rapidly moving northerly from Libya. Photos of damage can be viewed by clicking on camera pic above.

A squall line crossing the Maltese Islands spawned a number of funnel clouds and at least one waterspout at around 6.30pm local time. The sounding on the right taken at around 8pm local time clearly shows wind shear. Rainfall amounts were not particularly high, except in Gozo with 24-hour rainfall amounts of 13.8mm and 12.2mm at Xaghra and Gharb respectively. Warning was issued. Photos of waterspout can be viewed by clicking on camera pic above.

A squall line associated with a vigorous low pressure system crossing the Maltese Islands early this morning spawned a dry macroburst from  high-based thunderstorms. The sounding on the right taken at around 5am shows a sounding typical of a dry macroburst.

A macroburst is an intense downdraft generated from the thunderstorm as the raindrops evaporate and the downdraft reaches the ground not accompanied by rain. The air - cooled by evaporating rain - crashes downward almost like a rock in a pond. The cooler, denser air accelerates downward and then spreads rapidly outward in strong gusty winds near the surface.

Two cars were damaged when a wall collapsed in Fgura in an incident which is thought to have been caused by these strong winds. The south-south easterly wind, which was at its strongest at about 4 am, is also thought to have been the cause of a number of stones falling from an apartment block in St Julians. The stones fell onto the roof of an adjoining house, causing a partial collapse. No one was injured. The strong wind also uprooted trees in several localities, notably at Sta Lucija. Policemen and members of the Civil Protection Department were on hand to give assistance.

Maximum gusts at around 4.15am associated with this macroburst which affected mainly the southern and eastern parts of Malta were: 86.9km/h at Zebbug, 88.6km/h at Naxxar, 92.0km/h at Msida, 93.0km/h at Tarxien, 83.7km/h at Zejtun and 80.6km/h at Iklin. These maximum wind speeds correspond to Force 9 and 10 on the Beaufort scale. One can also view the graph to the left (wind speed in blue at top) at Zebbug Malta. To view some damage caused by storm please click on camera pic above.

A deep low pressure system with central pressure of 989hPa passed to the north of the Maltese Islands dragging with it a warm front late on Wednesday 4th March 2009 which brought with it some scattered rain and a rather humid and warm air mass. This was followed by the passage of a cold front bringing with it a strong veering of winds. 

Cars were damaged by falling stones in Mellieha and St Julians and a sailing yacht went adrift between Manoel Island and Ta' Xbiex last night as gale force winds battered the Maltese islands.

A police spokesman said reports of damage were received from all over Malta as well as Gozo. The cars in Mellieha and St Julian's were damaged when walls collapsed.

The Armed Forces of Malta said the skipper of the sailing yacht 'Fusion' alerted the AFM's Operations Centre that his vessel was adrift between Manuel Island and Ta' Xbiex. The Maritime Squadron's search-and-rescue launch 'Melita-1' was deployed and managed to secure the yacht alongside the Gozo-ferry berth in Sa Maison, Pieta`.

The Civil Protection Department was also busy on the roads, clearing debris strewn over the streets by the strong wind and the rain. Four sizeable tree trunks were reported to the AFM after they were found blocking Council of Europe Road in Luqa. The AFM deployed a bulldozer which cleared the road. The AFM also cleared debris from a collapsed wall in Mdina Road, Zebbug.

Trees were uprooted in many localities, including a large 40-year-old tree near the law courts in Valletta. At Zabbar a bus shelter was pulled from its mountings by the wind. Hoardings in a number of localities were also damaged.

Damage was also reported to the Xarolla windmill in Zurrieq,, which dates back to the time of the knights. The windmill was built in 1724 and was restored in 1992. It was administered by the local council and was a popular cultural venue. Last night's wind destroyed nearly all of its vanes.

A maximum gust of 142.5 km/h from the SSE was registered at Mellieha at 22.11 local time. Other localities also experienced strong wind gusts, with maximum gusts as follows: Zejtun = 85.1km/h, Zebbug (Malta) = 109.2km/h, Mgarr = 92.5km/h, Naxxar = 85.3km/h, Rabat = 92.5km/h, Nadur = 103.0km/h.

A vigorous low pressure system passed over the Maltese Islands from early Monday 5th January 2009 with thunderstoms and heavy rain showers from time to time. The worst storm  was one that passed over the Maltese Islands around mid-morning with torrential rain in some areas (esecially central and harbour areas of Malta), hail about 1.2cm to 1.5cm in Valletta (which however melted quickly unlike last week) and a brief waterspout which lasted about 5 minutes just off Marsascala at 10:35am.

 What is interesting is that the triple point of this low pressure system either passed over or very close to the Maltese Islands at around this time (as can be seen in the weather chart below). A radar image of this particular storm is also taken some time after. The highest 24-hour rainfall total for this day was again at Valletta with 87.0mm. There was flooding in the usual low-lying areas of Malta with some cars being carried away by the flood waters. However, no damages or injuries were reported. Click on camera pic to view the only photo we have of this waterspout (thanks to Chris Holland). A warning for both heavy rain and waterspouts was issued by Meteo Malta 24 hours previously.

 

A squall line with isolated thunderstorms crossed the Maltese Islands early this morning affecting mainly the Grand Harbour area, especially Valletta.

Although this particular line of thunderstoms that crossed the Maltese Islands from a westerly direction does NOT qualify as severe, it still caused quite a rare phenomenon here in Malta with very deep hail drifts in Valletta resembling snow drifts in some streets!  The largest hail stones were only around 1.2cm to 1.5cm in size but the huge quantity of them was really impressive. Rainfall in Valletta from this storm amounted to 36.2mm.

This thunderstorm was part of a line of thunderstorms known as a squall line. There was quite a lot of instability associated with this squall line with a very moist air from 12,000 to 16,000 feet. This led to the production of lots of hail as temperatures at this level were around -10 to -20 degrees Celsius. There was also wind shear from about 5,000 feet upwards and with 60-knot winds at 35,000 feet at anvil level.

Click on camera pic to view some photos of the hail drifts in Valletta and also watch video below (thanks to Arist Cordina)

 

A vigorous cold front passing over the Maltese Islands this morning caused heavy rainfall, very strong gusts and hail 1cm large in Dingli. This cold front was part of a deep low pressure system (central sea-level pressure 998hPa centred over the Tyrrhenian Sea). Rainfall at Balzan was 29.8mm till 5pm. Thunderstorms were moving SSE-NNW. Maximum gusts were the following: 83.7km/h at Zebbug Malta, 111.0km/h at Mellieha and 99.9km/h at Mgarr Malta at 11:15am during a severe thunderstorm (this reading is now confirmed). Hail 1 inch (2.5cm) in size has now also been confirmed from the same storm at Rabat. The large hail broke a number of feast lights. Lots of moisture was present in the atmosphere at all levels together with a speed shear as can be seen in the sounding of 10am above.

A wall collapsed at San Gwann, shipping movements were halted at Malta Freeport, and flooding was reported in several localities as heavy rain fell over Malta today in between strong gusts of wind. A spokesman for the Civil Protection Department said that rescuers were called out to help as many cars stalled, particularly in Msida, Birkirkara and Marsascala. The police this afternoon issued warnings urging drivers to avoid Birkirkara and Msida valleys.Fire engines were called to several localities to pump water out of flooded homes.

Trees in a number of localities were broken by the wind. At Marsaxlokk, fishermen stayed awake all night as several boats slipped their moorings but no serious damage was caused. At one time traffic could not pass throught Burmarrad due to the flood waters present. Click on camera pic to view some photos of this stormy weather.

A deep low pressure system (central sea-level pressure 994hPa - see animated satellite image to the right) formed just to the south of Malta and passed over the Maltese Islands during the night Wednesday/Thursday with heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms with gusty winds. Highest rainfall was 78.2mm at Bahrija, while the highest gust was an 85.3km/h at Mellieha. No damage or injuries were reported.

A fish farm was one of the casualties of the high winds and rough seas Friday 28th November 2008 when the cargo vessel Carl C crashed into it, while several other ships were either delayed or unable to enter Grand Harbour, among them three cruise liners. The Carl C made it to Grand Harbour at about 7.30 p.m.

These strong winds were caused by the approach of the cold front of a very intense low pressure system (central sea-level pressure 990hPa - see surface analysis chart to the right) towards  the Maltese Islands. Maximum wind speed measured was 114.8km/h from a southeasterly direction at 06:58am at Mellieha. This weather station is situated on top of the Red Tower.

The 100-metre cargo ship was off Xrobb l-Għaġin carrying out engine repairs when it started dragging its two anchors and was swept onto two fish pens. Two tugboats were dispatched to assist the ship and the army and civil protection department were placed on alert. It was not immediately known how much damage, if any, was caused. Attempts to release the ship got underway in the morning and the pen was expected to be towed into harbour to assess the damage.

Port operations came to a standstill because pilots weren't boarding ships for safety reasons, leaving the cruise liners Costa Concordia and Grand Celebration waiting outside Grand Harbour for some time. Another, the Celebrity Century, cancelled its call. The Malta Maritime Authority said another eight ships were unable to make harbour. At the Freeport, cranes couldn't be operated because of the strong wind. The police said no accidents as a result of the weather conditions were reported.

A waterspout was seen just off the coast to the south of Malta moving ESE-WNW from Blue Grotto to Ghar Lapsi for about 20 minutes from 11.30am. This waterspout remained at sea and no damage was reported. There was a notable shift in surface wind direction from ENE to ESE at the time of this waterspout. Another waterspout was seen off the Sliema Front at 2.10pm. The day consisted of heavy thundery rain showers at times. A moist and unstable atmosphere was present over the central Mediterranean together with some wind shear (as can be seen on sounding to the right) helped to create the instability. A warning for both heavy rain and waterspouts was issued by Meteo Malta 24 hours previously. Photos of the waterspout can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

A waterspout was seen just off Xwejni Bay in Gozo at around 5.30pm with heavy rainfall falling from the same cloud also seen. This waterspout remained at sea and no damage was reported. A moist and unstable atmosphere was present over the central Mediterranean together with some wind shear (as can be seen on sounding to the right) helped to create the instability. Photos of the waterspout can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

In the early hours of 1st October 2008, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms caused lots of flooding in the usual low-lying areas of Malta and Gozo, with some people having to be rescued from their cars. An ambulance was one of the vehicles that got caught in the heavy water current in Birkirkara at 2 a.m. and CPD director Peter Cordina, who coordinated the various rescue operations, said the vehicle was towed to safer grounds. Once its engine re-started, it continued on its way to hospital. Fields were flooded and some rubble walls collapsed. Some trees and billboards were blown down at Bahar ic-Caghaq, which suffered the heaviest rainfall. The severe lightning also damaged appliances and equipment mainly in Attard, Lija and Iklin. Firemen were also deployed to Popeye Village in Anchor Bay to extinguish a fire started by lightning early yesterday morning. The roof of a farmhouse in Sta Venera caved in but, luckily, no one was inside the room at the time. In excess of 80mm was recorded within a few hours in some localities. The highest rainfall was recorded at Bahar ic-Caghaq  with 88.8mm. Other localities with heavy rainfall include: Mgarr (Malta) 86.3mm, Qawra 76.6mm, Sannat 70.2mm, Mellieha 64.8mm, Iklin 64.7mm, Bahrija 64.6mm & Msida 59.6mm. This heavy rainfall was caused by the passage of a moist frontal system. Jet stream winds aloft and a clear wind shear (as can be seen on sounding to the right) helped to create the instability. Photos of the lightning can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

On 28th September 2008, a waterspout was seen to the southeast of Malta, just off the coast at Marsascala and Marsaxlokk at around 8.45am. This lasted about 10 to 15 minutes. The cloud that produced this waterspout seemed to be a large cumulus or shallow cumulonimbus as no lightning strikes were reported from this particular cloud. The was a upper-level trough to the north and a cold front to the south. The atmosphere was unstable and wind shear was also present (see sounding to the right), although it was in an abnormal anti-clockwise direction. The lifted index was of 0.2 with a CAPE of only 198J/kg. Sea temperature was a warm 24°C. This paticular cloud moved NE-SW and did not affect any land area of the Maltese Islands, although a squall from this cloud caused the sinking of a cabin cruiser which took in a lot of water and sank due to localised high waves. Photos of the cloud and its associated waterspout can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

A fierce northeasterly wind and rough seas caused by the clash of a low pressure system to the southeast of Malta and a strong high pressure system over Europe (as can be seen in the synoptic map to the right) lashed Malta throughout the day and caused damage all along the east coast, with boats slipping their moorings at St Paul's Bay, St Julians and Sliema Creek. Tiles were dislodged at The Strand promenade in Sliema/Gzira. Some small boats in Spinola were smashed to pieces. Winds were averaging Force 8 and gusting Force 10 in exposed areas. Our weather station at Mellieha in fact measured gusts by to 96.2km/h.

At the Jews Sally Port, below the Valletta bastions, a Toyota Vitz was almost washed away by the waves, which carried it onto the rocks. The driver, a 70-year-old man from Valletta, was lucky to escape unhurt, having been assisted out of the car by SAG police who happened to be on a patrol nearby. At St Julians traffic had to be diverted because of seawater on the road while at Marsascala a kiosk had window panes broken and plastic chairs and tables scattered over a wide area.

The police also reported that a 59-year-old Italian resident of Naxxar was injured in the afternoon when he was hit by a water tank as he walked along High Street, St Julians. He was taken to hospital where his injuries were found not to be serious. The tank is thought to have been blown by the wind. Photos of the rough sea can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

On 18th January 2008, at around 8.205am a small tornado was seen briefly to the WNW of San Gwann for about 5 minutes. There also was a report of the same tornado to the southwest of Maghtab over Madliena. Yet another report and photos show the tornado just off the coast at Sliema at around 8.15am. The clouds and tornado were moving NE-SW. As can be seen from the sounding and hodograph to the right there was an unusual type of wind shear - anticlockwise wind shear, but this was enough to create this brief tornado. Weather at the time of the tornado was isolated showers with small hail - there were no reports of any strong wind or damage caused. Photos of the tornado can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

On 29th December 2007, in the afternoon and throughout the night, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms caused lots of flooding in the usual low-lying areas of Malta and Gozo, with some people having to be rescued from their cars. Fields were flooded and some rubble walls collapsed. Various telephone connections were also damaged. The beach at Ramla Bay in Gozo was carved out by the flood waters. In excess of 100mm was recorded within a period of 24 hours from noon of the 29th to noon of 30th December. The highest rainfall was recorded in Mellieha with 165.8mm. This heavy rainfall was caused by a low pressure system over the central Mediterranean which was practically stationary due to very light upper level winds. Photos of the hail can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

On 16th November 2007, in the morning around 8.30am, a severe thunderstorm caused some havoc in Gozo with heavy rain showers and large hail about 1 inch in diameter. The large hail dented cars and destroyed crops. A brief waterspout was also seen from Gozo. Strong lightning from this super cell cumulonimbus cloud was also present in various localities. During the storm gusts of 93.3km/h and 74.0km/h were recorded at Mellieha and Zebbug Malta respectively. The storms were caused due to strong wind shear and very moist and unstable air over the Maltese Islands. A warm and moist surface SSE airflow together with a drier and cool upper air westerly flow contributed to this severe weather. The wind shear situation was in fact very similar to that found in the USA in spring, as can also be confirmed from the hodograph.. CAPE readings were over 1200J/kg with a lifted index of -4.8 (click on sounding to the right). Photos of the hail can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

Gale force winds buffetted the island on 22 October 2007, giving the Civil Protection Department a busy time as trees were uprooted and moored boats sank. The force eight wind howled throughout the night as thunder and lightening ripped through the sky. CPD head Peter Cordina said his men were kept busy clearing roads from fallen trees and branches. One man had a lucky escape when his boat, moored in St Julians, sank.  "The man got onto another boat to try and save his own, but unfortunately that boat started to sink too," Mr Cordina said. In the end, members of the CPD had to come to his rescue. A number of other boats were torn away from their moorings and met the same fate, he said.

Three electricity poles were toppled over during the night, a spokesman for Enemalta said. The wind also pushed down a periphery wall surrounding part of Mater Dei Hospital.  On Sunday night the police reported that branches ripped off a tree fell onto a moving car and the two occupants had to be treated for shock.

This strong WNW winds with gusts of over 100km/h at Melieha was caused by a Mediterranean Cyclone that formed over Sicily due to the bitter cold northerly winds clashing with the warm Mediterranean Sea. Rainfall totals were not especially high with mean rainfall only 22mm or so, but at one time during this storm, around 10pm or so at Cirkewwa, it seemed like a hurricane with torrential rainfall and very strong winds, as witnessed by Mark and Chris. Photos of the storm can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

On 20th October 2007, a large waterspout was seen to the northeast of Qala, Gozo at around 9.30am. This lasted about 10 minutes. The cloud that produced this waterspout seemed to be a large cumulus as no lightning strikes were reported from this particular cloud. The was a negatively-tilted upper-level trough to the north and speed shear was definitely present (see sounding to the right). The lifted index was of -3.0 with a CAPE of almost 1000J/kg. Sea temperature was a warm 23°C. This paticular cloud moved WNW-ESE and did not affect any land area of the Maltese Islands. Photos of the cloud and its associated waterspout can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

On 25th June 2007, a short-wave upper-level trough produced an Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) which passed over the Maltese Islands during the early morning causing heavy thundery rain showers and blustery gusts especially over Gozo. Cars with people inside were carried away by the flood waters at Bahar ic-Caghaq, while strong gusts broke off some big tree branches in Gozo between Nadur and Victoria. Some big boulders at Dahlet Qorrot in Gozo were dislodged by the rain and these crashed down in front of some boat houses. Luckily no one was injured in any of these incidents. Today’s heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were caused due to an short-wave upper-level low pressure system which passed quickly over the central Mediterranean bringing relatively cold air over a warm sea, creating a great deal of instability with lots of clouds and heavy rain showers and thunderstorms. There was lots of moisture in the atmosphere and the lifted index was of -5.8 and CAPE of 1751J/Kg (click on sounding to the right).  Some rainfall totals for this storm (from around 5am to 10pm) for some localities were: Bahar ic-Caghaq 40.8mm, Kalkara 30.6mm, Zurrieq 30.4mm, Nadur 50.4mm, Zebbug Gozo 50.8mm, Gharb 59.8mm. Photos of the storm can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

On 4th June 2007, heavy rain showers and thunderstorms struck Malta causing lots of flooding in the usual low-lying areas of Malta with cars being carried away by the flood waters too. Some small hail also fell in a few localities. Photos of an uncofirmed funnel clouds can also be seen in the photo gallery. Today’s heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were caused due to an upper-level low pressure system over the central Mediterranean bringing relatively cold air over a warm sea, creating a great deal of instability with lots of clouds and heavy rain showers and thunderstorms. There was lots of moisture in the atmosphere and the lifted index was of -3.1 and CAPE of 884J/Kg (click on sounding to the right). Worst hit were the extreme south and the central parts of the island. Some rainfall totals for the whole day (from around 9am to 6pm) for some localities were: Zurrieq 99.2mm, Bahar ic-Caghaq 97.8mm, Iklin 90.0mm, San Gwann 83.9mm, Naxxar 76.0mm, Qormi 73.8mm, Balzan 68.0mm, Msida 63.6mm, Siggiewi 62.6mm. Gozo had hardly any rain!  This storm broke all records for June and has already made June 2007 the wettest June ever since rainfall records began in Valletta in 1865! The previous wettest June was in 1915 with 34.5mm of rainfall. Photos of the storms and floods can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

On 24th December 2006, in the morning, severe thunderstorms caused some havoc in Malta with heavy rain showers and flooding in the usual low-lying areas of Malta. Strong lightning and large hail was also present in various localities. Hail at least one inch in size (see photo) fell in Gzira damaging some cars parked there. There was also a report of a funnel cloud close to the airport. Gusts of 82km/h were recorded at Zebbug and 88.5km/h at Mellieha. The storms were caused due to strong wind shear and very moist and unstable air over the Maltese Islands. A warm and moist surface southeasterly airflow together with a drier and cool upper air flow contributed to this severe weather. The wind shear situation was in fact very similar to that found in the USA in spring. CAPE readings were over 900J/kg with a lifted index of -4.6 (click on sounding to the right). Photos of the storms and damage can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

An isolated thunderstorm moving in from the northwest affected the Maltese Islands, especially Gozo, where heavy rain caused severe flooding and an unconfirmed tornado at Xlendi. An unconfirmed tornado was also reported at Golden Bay, while 1cm hail was reported at Qrendi. Winds were very strong during this storm with a gust of 107km/h (57 knots) at Mellieha at around 4.10pm. The unconfirmed brief tornado at Xlendi  uprooted some trees and brought down a few rubble walls. The small sandy beach at Xlendi was also practically washed away by the floodwaters. The heaviest rainfall was reported in Zebbug 86.2mm, Marsalforn 54.0mm, Victoria 41.0mm and Sannat 34.4mm. A relatively weak dry line oriented southwest-northeast was present together with a lifted index of -6.6 and a CAPE of over 2000J/kg. The hodograph was oriented southwest-northeast too indicating that a good wind shear was present (click on sounding to the right).  Photos of the damage at Xlendi can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

An isolated thunderstorm moving in from the northeast affected the extreme northeast of Malta, especially Marsascala, Zabbar and the Cottonera area. Heavy rainfall was measured in these areas lasting for about 2 hours in Marsascala from 11.30am to 1.30pm. Rainfall measured was 46.0mm at Marsascala, 28.2mm at Vittoriosa and 25.0mm at Zabbar. A waterspout lasting about 10 minutes was also seen over St Thomas Bay, Marsascala at around 11.45am. This storm was caused due to a dry line that was oriented northwest-southeast, denoting a sharp contrast between very humid air on one side and much drier air on the other side. During this storm it was noted that the wind was blowing from the southwest over much of Malta, with gusts up to 33.3km/h at Zebbug at 12.12pm (during the height of the storm). This definitely helped the inflow into this storm.  Photos of the waterspout at St Thomas Bay can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

It was extremely windy from late 31st January till early 1st February as a low pressure system moving slowing to our east intensified suddenly to 993hPa, causing very strong northeasterly winds over the Maltese Islands. Highest gusts were 81.4km/h at the Airport, 70.3km/h at Rabat, 75.9km/h at Msida, 82.0km/h at Nadur, and at Mellieha an extremely high gust of 109.2km/h (Force 11)! Winds were averaging Force 9 gusting Force 11 over exposed areas of the Maltese Islands.

It was inevitable that such strong winds would cause damage in several areas. Civil Protection Department chief Peter Cordina said that the department had received reports of uprooted trees, electricity cables and poles, collapsed stone rubble walls and twisted television aerials. A car suffered extensive damage when a tree fell onto it, although no one was injured, and part of the wall in the Regional Road tunnel in the direction of Swieqi was also damaged. Photos of the rough seas on this day can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

Malta once again bore the brunt of heavy rain and thunderstorms as roads flooded on Tuesday morning.  Albeit being a public holiday, this morning's heavy rain caught many people by surprise, bringing the traffic to a standstill in many areas. During the storm, the emergency number was down, the police said.  A tornado was also reported at Marsascala in the early morning. Photos of the damage caused by this tornado can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic.

During the heavy downpour, which began just after 0500CET, an average of 55.1 millimeters of rain fell in approximately four hours. In fact, the highest rainfall was at Msida with 91.5mm. Several roads were closed, as a number of areas known for flooding problems were temporarily cut off. These included Msida, Balzan, Birkirkara, Marsa and areas in the south of Malta.

Members of the Civil Protection Department and Armed Forces personnel braved the heavy rain to assist people, mainly motorists, who found themselves in difficulty whilst driving through flooded areas. An official spokesman for the Civil Protection Department said that a house in Gzira collapsed and a big wall in Valley Road was knocked down by flood waters. No one was injured.

A thunderstorm affecting mainly Gozo and Mellieha early this afternoon produced heavy rainfall, hail up to 1.5cm large (if the hail had been just 4mm larger it would have qualified as a severe thunderstorm!) and strong gusts of wind. Rotation of the cloud base was also noted. Photos of this hail can be viewed by clicking on the camera pic. Rainfall from this storm was estimated at around 10mm.

A thunderstorm with gusts up to 43.5 knots (80.3 km/h) at Mellieha hit the Maltese Islands early this morning. The thunderstorm passed at around 6.30am but did not last long. Lightning was rather strong and flooding was reported in various localities, such as B'Kara and Msida. A high garden boundary wall in St Paul's Bay was demolished by an alleged brief  tornado, according to maltarightnow.com. Highest rainfall was in Valletta with 10.8 mm.

A thunderstorm hit the Maltese islands early in the morning, bringing with it torrential rainfall and severe lightning with lightning strikes hitting Mellieha and Nadur. The rains caused flooding on parts of the islands, leaving motorists stranded in their vehicles, reports Malta Media. To assist them, members of the Civil Protection Department were dispatched, as well as being on-hand to offer help with the traffic congestion caused. The timing of the storm did not help, with many caught up in the morning rush-hour when the heavy rain hit. Several valleys were also flooded during the storm. The Civil Protection Department assisted about 50 people including a group of students in Birkirkara, who were waiting for school transport during the heavy downpour. In Siggiewi, the newly-constructed road - which formed part of the 16kilometres of roads financed by the Fifth Italian Protocol -- overflowed with waste water as the water lifted all the manhole covers. In Hamrun, the ceiling of a house collapsed but no one was injured. Strong straight-line gusts of 44.0 knots (81.4 km/h) were recorded at Luqa Airport and Rabat during the storm. Highest rainfall was 82.2 mm at Nadur, Gozo. Click on the camera pic above to view photos taken of this storm from Xlendi, Gozo.

Many areas of the Maltese Islands were hit by a squall line, where the wind changed direction and increased in speed very quickly. At one time gusts were reaching 37.8 knots (70km/h). It was around 7.50am when the calm summer atmosphere took a sudden turn for the worse when the light southeasterly wind was replaced by a very strong northwesterly wind, together with some isolated rain showers, low clouds and even some fog. The strong wind shocked some people as they heard their shutters banging and saw outside furniture and potted plants tossed around. Large trees were also swaying in the strong wind. This however lasted just 6 minutes or so.

An alleged tornado  was reported by maltarightnow.com at Safi early in the afternoon today. The alleged tornado only lasted a few moments and developed while some parents were waiting for their children at the local primary school. Witnesses said that the wind increased suddenly and lots of dust and bits and pieces were blown into the air, while others found it difficult to walk and had to shelter behind a wall. No damage was reported. This website concludes that this was more likely to be a strong straight-line wind rather than a tornado.