Thunderstorms but no heavy rain expected till Thursday

High-level thunderstorms are expected to remain possible over Malta and Gozo until Thursday as unstable conditions persist over the central Mediterranean.

A Met Office spokesperson said thunderstorms passed close to the north of the Maltese Islands during the early hours of Monday morning.

She said the upper atmosphere will remain unstable from Monday through Thursday, bringing the possibility of showers accompanied by high-level thunderstorms.

Despite the forecast, the Met Office said there is no cause for alarm, explaining most of the rain is expected to evaporate before reaching the ground. As a result, no flooding is anticipated, although thunder and lightning may still be experienced.

The phenomenon is typical of high-level thunderstorms, where precipitation falls from elevated cloud layers but evaporates in the dry lower atmosphere before reaching the surface.

If measurable rainfall is recorded, it would mark the first rain to fall in Malta during July since 2022, when the Met Office recorded just 0.2mm of rainfall during the month.

Temperatures are expected to remain high, hovering around the 34°C mark, with UV levels at no lower than eight throughout the entire week.