March saw the highest number of thundery days in 64 years

According to the Malta International Airport (MIA), the country had the highest number of days with thunder since 1951. Thunder was in fact heard on six days (6th, 7th, 10th, 26th, 27th and 28th) which is higher than the monthly norm of two, added MIA.

MIA explained that March was also characterized by greyer skies, stronger winds and heavier showers when compared to records from previous years. 

“Last month, the Mediterranean island experienced almost twice the amount of average rainfall, collecting a total of 64.0mm. The average rainfall for March was 37.9mm. A total of 16.6mm of rainfall was collected on the wettest day (March 26th),” the statement read.

Figures show that the most frequent wind direction was north-west, blowing at an average speed of 11.04 knots, which was higher than the norm of 9.4 knots. The strongest wind gust was recorded on March 30th, at 42 knots from the Northwest by West direction.

MIA said that a total of 37 wind warnings were issued: 17 of which were directed at the Luqa Airfield for aviation purposes, while another 20 warnings were aimed at the general public, but no hail or fog was reported at Luqa International Airport.

According to MIA, the average temperature for March stood at 13.6°C, which was slightly lower (0.3°C) than what is expected during this period. The highest temperature recorded on the other hand, was on March 22nd, with 19.6°C, and the lowest temperature fell to 12.7°C on the 5th, but the lowest night temperature (7.2°C) was recorded on the 9th.

The statement added that a relatively average humidity level of 81.9% was recorded last month, which was slightly higher than the norm of 78%.

“The maximum relative humidity measured was 97% on the 24th while, the lowest value of 58% was recorded on the 7th, 13th, 14th and 29th March,”

The MIA reported that the average sea temperature stood at 15.3°C which is 0.2°C warmer than the average temperature for March.

According to figures, Malta saw a total of 203 hours of bright sunshine last month, 19.3 hours less than the mean of 222.3 hours with an average of 6.6 hours of bright sunshine per day.

“The brightest day recorded was March 29th, clocking up a total of 10.7 hours of sunshine. Meanwhile, the dullest days (5th and 16th ) saw no sunshine,” the statement continued.

According to the MIA, the warmest recorded March was 2001, with an average of 16.9°C and the coolest was 1953 with an average of 11.4°C. On the other hand, the wettest March on record occurred in 1925 with a total of 178.0mm, while the driest one was in 1977 with just 0.40mm.