Air Temperature
Highest Maximum | 29.3°C | 3rd |
Lowest Maximum | 23.6°C | 31st |
Highest Minimum | 24.3°C | 3rd |
Lowest Minimum | 15.2°C | 30th |
Mean Maximum | 26.1°C |
Mean Minimum | 18.7°C |
Mean | 22.4°C |
Relative Humidity
Highest Relative Humidity | 95% | Numerous days |
Lowest Relative Humidity | 52% | 12th |
Mean Relative Humidity | 78.6% |
Wind
Highest Gust | 53.1km/h | 19th |
Mean Wind Speed | 8.0km/h |
Most Frequent Wind Direction | South Southeast |
Atmospheric Pressure
Highest Atmospheric Pressure | 1028.0hPa | 24th |
Lowest Atmospheric Pressure | 1007.2hPa | 3rd |
Mean Atmospheric Pressure | 1018.8hPa |
Precipitation
Total Rainfall During October 2024 | 23.7 mm |
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 | 53.4 mm |
Highest 24 Hour Total | 22.4 mm | 19th |
Rain Days | 3 days |
Thunderstorm Days | 2 days |
Hail Days | 0 days |
Rainfall Events
18/10/2024 | 0.5 mm | Light Rain Shower |
19/10/2024 | 22.4 mm | Thunderstorm |
22/10/2024 | 1.0 mm | Light Rain Shower; Distant Thunderstorm |
October 2024 Compared to the Climate Means
Climate Mean | October 2024 | Anomaly | |
Mean Maximum Temperature | 24.9°C | 26.1°C | +1.2°C |
Mean Minimum Temperature | 18.5°C | 18.7°C | +0.2°C |
Mean Temperature | 21.7°C | 22.4°C | +0.7°C |
Mean Relative Humidity | 77.7% | 78.6% | +0.9% |
Mean Atmospheric Pressure | 1017.8hPa | 1018.8hPa | +1.0hPa |
Total Rainfall | 84.0 mm | 23.7 mm | -60.3 mm |
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 | 138.9 mm | 53.4 mm | -85.5 mm |
Total Rain Days | 10 days | 3 days | -7 days |
Total Thunderstorm Days | 6 days | 2 days | -4 days |
Total Hail Days | 1 day | 0 days | -1 day |
A Very Warm and Dry October 2024
October brought generally dry warm weather to the Maltese Islands.
Having produced just 9.4 mm of precipitation, October was significantly drier than the climate norm, which stands at 84.0 mm of rainfall. This was the third consecutive year with a very dry October. It was also one of the driest on record. There was only one major rainfall event. After a day of near misses, an evening downpour on the 19th struck the northern half of Gozo with up to 70 mm in the villages of San Lawrenz and Għarb. Surrounding localities also received a decent share of rain. 22.4 mm were measured by our rain gauge in Kerċem. There were two other days with rain, both yielding only light rain showers. Thunderstorms drifted past on one of these occasions. Localities across Malta received no heavy rainfall at all.
October 2024 was also significantly warmer than average, registering a mean temperature of 22.4°C which exceeded the climate norm by 0.7°C. A staggering twenty-six days in October registered maximum temperatures that were higher than the norm. An extensive area of high pressure (anticyclone) prevailed over eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. Troughs of low pressure (storm systems) remained stuck over the western Mediterranean and northwestern Europe. This helped maintain a persistent easterly air flow across the central Mediterranean. Apart from making October the second consecutive month with the South Southeast as the predominant wind direction, it ensured that warm air was constantly advected from regions of the Sahara towards the central Mediterranean.
October was a much calmer month than expected at this time of year, with the wind speed averaging at 8.0 km/h rather than the norm of around 13.7 km/h. October’s maximum wind gust measured 53.1 km/h (Force 7) and blew from the Southeast in the morning of the 19th, ahead of the evening downpour.
Rainfall Totals around the Maltese Islands in October 2024 (and since last October 1st):
Kerċem: 23.7 mm (53.4 mm)
Victoria: 22.6 mm (57.0 mm)
Xewkija: 7.5 mm (31.8 mm)
Nadur: 21.8 mm (53.6 mm)
Marsalforn: 16.6 mm (43.3 mm)
Mellieħa: 6.8 mm (48.6 mm)
Buġibba: 3.0 mm (54.6 mm)
Mġarr: 9.7 mm (34.9 mm)
Naxxar: 5.0 mm (71.6 mm)
Mosta: 5.9 mm (70.7 mm)
Dingli: 5.5 mm (33.5 mm)
Msida: 4.9 mm (95.4 mm)
Valletta: 4.6 mm (69.3 mm)
Imqabba: 4.6 mm (41.3 mm)
Birżebbuġa: 5.3 mm (36.2 mm)
Sliema: 6.2 mm (68.7 mm)
Fgura: 6.0 mm (89.0 mm)
NATIONAL MEAN: 9.4 mm (56.1 mm)