Updated | Grey skies and heavy clouds herald first August rain

Thick clouds gathered over most parts of Malta on Tuesday, turning the sky grey in the afternoon, and giving way to the first light rain after the Santa Marija holidays.

The rain would definitely be welcome news for Malta’s farmers but many others were caught unprepared with the abrupt turn in the weather.

Earlier on Tuesday, rough winds have turned otherwise picturesque bays around Malta and Gozo into danger spots, with around seven swimmers reported to have found themselves in difficulty throughout the day.  According to reports, one of the swimmers, a young girl is even in critical condition.

Red flags are flying over many beaches to signal the potential danger of such adverse weather conditions, with waves violent enough to out even sea vessels in significant difficulty.

Passers by at the Tal- Fekruna area in St. Paul’s Bay took to social media to post images of a yacht sinking off the coast, in an attempt to alert the owner of the vessel, called Nina Mia. Other media reports claim that the owner has since been contacted, but the yacht is still currently taking in water.