Malta enjoys brighter, sunnier and drier April than usual

Malta enjoyed a sunnier April this year, with brighter days, warmer temperatures and less rainfall compared to the month’s 30-year norm, according to Malta International Airport’s Met Office.

The average maximum temperature stood at 20.5°C, which is 1.5°C warmer than usual, while the average minimum temperature registered was 13.6°C, which is also warmer.

On 20 April, the hottest day of April, thermometers rose to 25.1°C, while the lowest temperature reached was 10.5°C between 17 and 18 April. There were only three days last month where the maximum temperature fell below the norm.

Malta also had on average 9.2 hours of daily bright sunshine, adding up to a total of 275 hours. The last two days of April were the brightest, while the dullest was the 21st, recording a measly 1.3 hours of bright sunshine.

April showers amounted to a total of 13.0mm, which is 9.5mm less rainfall than the 30-year average norm for April. However, there were still three thunderstorms on 13, 16 and 18 April. No fog or hail was reported.

Wind speed in April was 10.0 knots, slightly lower than the climate norm of 10.3 knots. The most frequent wind direction was West North West with 88 hours. The highest gust reached 33 knots from the West by North direction on the 5th.

The average sea temperature was relatively warm, sitting at 16.0°C which is just 0.1°C more than the climate norm of 15.9 °C. The relative humidity was 74%, this is less humid than the average of 77%.

This April, the mean temperature was 1.5°C above average. The highest temperature recorded was 25.1 °C reached on the 20th, while the lowest was 10.5 °C on the night of 17-18 April.

The warmest April day ever recorded in Malta was on the 9th April 1985 when a temperature reached 30.7 °C. The coolest April night ever recorded was that of the 10th April 1956 with a low of 4.4 °C.

Malta International Airport’s Met Office is the official entity approved by the Government to provide weather services for the island.

For further information on up to date weather forecasts log on to www.maltairport.com/weather