October weather warmer, wetter than climate average

October in Malta was warmer, brighter, and wetter that the climate average during this period, the Meteorological Office said.

The average air temperature throughout October stood at 22.2°C, while the minimum was 18.7°C. Both temperatures were 0.7°C more than the October average.

Total rainfall amounted to 82.4 mm, which is higher than the average of 75.6 mm. Thunder was heard on six days, exceeding the October norm by a day.

Sea temperature was considerably warmer than the 23.5°C average as it stood at 25.0°C. October also saw Malta enjoy 249,7 hours of sunshine, averaging to about 8.1 hours of bright sunshine per day, which is 1.1 hours more than the October average.

The sunniest day was October 8, which saw 10.4 hours of sunshine, while the dullest was on October 5, with only 1.3 hours of sunshine.

Last month, the Maltese Islands were also swept by a mixture of light and variable winds, lasting a total of 113 hours.  

The most frequent wind direction was the West Northwest and had a mean speed of 6.2 knots. This was less than the typical speed of 7.2 knots. The strongest gust was measured at 37 knots from the Southwest on October 5.

Relative humidity levels registered a 4% decrease when compared to the corresponding period last year, landing at 75 per cent. No hail was reported and only one day of fog was seen.

The warmest day was October 18th of the month, where the mercury rose to 30.7°C. The coolest day was October 29th, when temperatures fell to a cool 13.5°C.