A cold front will be moving across the central Mediterranean, as described on www.malteseislandsweather.com/a-brief-cold-spell-zmien-qasir-ta-kesha/. Despite this, very little to no rain is expected over the Maltese Islands. This is because the wind will be from the North. A kind of rain shadow forms over the Maltese Islands when the wind across the central Mediterranean blows from a northerly direction. Cold northerly air (blue arrows) moving towards the Maltese Islands encounters Sicily on its way. The air is forced to rise and condense. Condensations produces rain-bearing clouds over Sicily (area encircled in blue). Precipitation occurs and the moisture carried by the cold northerly air is lost. As the cold northerly air advances further south, the stretch of sea between Sicily and the Maltese Islands is not wide enough for the air to recharge with moisture. As a result, the air is too dry to form any clouds locally. As a result, no rain occurs over the Maltese Islands. That is why a North wind rarely brings any rain to our shores. This rain shadow is the the grey area indicated within the red lines.
Front kiesaħ se jkun għaddej minn fuq iċ-ċentru tal-Mediterran, kif deskritt fuq https://www.malteseislandsweather.com/a-brief-cold-spell-zmien-qasir-ta-kesha/. Minkejja dan, ftit li xejn mistennija xita fuq il-Gżejjer Maltin. Dan minħabba li riħ se jkun jonfoħ mit-Tramuntana. Speċi ta’ ‘rain shadow’ jifforma madwar il-Gżejjer Maltin meta r-riħ ikun mit-Tramuntana. Arja kiesħa mit-Tramuntana (vleġġeġ blu) resqin lejn il-Gżejjer Maltin jiltaqgħu ma’ Sqallija fi triqithom lejnha. L-arja titla u tikkundensa. Meta tikkundensa, din tipproduċi sħab tax-xita fuq Sqallija (reġjun indikat b’ċirku blu). Hemm tagħmel ix-xita u l-ilma li kien qed jinġarr minn l-arja kiesħa jintilef. Kif l-arja kiesħa tibqa nieżla l-isfel, il-baħar bejn Sqallija u l-Gżejjer Maltin ma hux wiesgħa biżejjed biex din l-istess arja terġa tiġbor il-fwar minn fuq il-baħar. Għal din ir-raġuni, l-arja tkun niexfa wisq biex tiżviluppa sħab fuqna. Għalhekk, ma tagħmilx xita fuq il-Gżejjer Maltin. Din hija r-raġuni li meta r-riħ ikun mit-Tramuntana ftit li xejn tagħmel xita hawn. Dan ir-‘rain shadow’ huwa l-parti l-griża indikat b’linji ħomor.
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