A low pressure system forming over north Africa will traverse the central Mediterranean on Wednesday 25/03 and Thursday 26/03. A warm and dry air mass will accompany this low pressure system. This air mass will clash with the cool and moist air mass locally, causing this low pressure system to intensify rapidly as it moves across our region. The atmospheric pressure at its centre may be as low as 990hPa. Its main impacts on the Maltese Islands will be two separate gales in a space of 48 hours. It will also bring airborne fine desert sand and a bout of showers.

The warm and dry air mass accompanying this low pressure system will carry with it a abundant fine desert sand. It will affect us only partly, with some airborne fine desert sand over the Maltese Islands. The bulk will remain to the south of the Maltese Islands and over the Sahara Desert itself. The airborne fine desert sand may give the air a slight reddish hue on Wednesday 25/03. The air will clear up on Thursday 26/03, as the wind turns Northwest.

A mass of showers will be associated with the centre of the low pressure system. The low pressure system is expected to reach its point of greatest intensity over Sicily, after traversing the Maltese Islands. As such, the heaviest rain will not affect us. Nevertheless, some showers should still affect the Maltese Islands, with a few of these anticipated to be heavy and also possibly thundery at times. Total rainfall may exceed 10 mm in the wettest localities. The rain will be depositing fine desert sand. The chance of rain is highest in the morning on Wednesday 25/03, but showers may still occur at any point from evening on Tuesday 24/03 till morning on Thursday 26/03.

The air temperature will be a mild 16 C / 12 C on Wednesday 25/03, before dipping to a cool 13 C / 9 C on Thursday 26/03.

Sistema ta’ pressjoni baxxa li qed tifforma fl-Afrika ta’ fuq se tgħaddi minn fuq iċ-ċentru tal-Mediterran l-Erbgħa 25/03 u l-ħamis 26/03. Massa ta’ arja sħuna u niexfa hija abbinata ma’ din. Din l-arja se taħbat ma’ l-arja kiesħa u umda’ madwarna, biex b’hekk is-sistema ta’ pressjoni baxxa tintensifika b’ritmu mgħaġġel hi u għaddejha fuq iċ-ċentru tal-Mediterran. Il-pressjoni atmosferika fiċ-ċentru tagħha jaf jinżel sa 990hPa. L-akbar impatt fuq il-Gżejjer Maltin se jkunu żewġ riefni fi spazju ta’ 48 siegħa. Se ġġib magħha wkoll trab fin fl-arja u xi xita.

L-arja sħuna u niexfa li tinsab abbinata ma’ din is-sistema ta’ pressjoni baxxa se tkun qed iġġorr magħha ammont sostanzzjali ta’ trab fin mid-deżert. Dan se jaffetwana biss parzjalment, b’xi trab fin fl-arja fuq il-Gżejjer Maltin. Il-biċċa l-kbira ta’ dan it-trab se jżomm lejn in-nofsinhar tagħna. L-arja taf tidher daqsxejn ħamranija nhar l-Erbgħa 25/03. L-arja se titnaddaf il-Ħamis 26/03, hekk kif ir-riħ idur Majjistral.

Massa ta’ xita se tkun abbinata maċ-ċentru ta’ din is-sistema ta’ pressjoni baxxa. Il-pressjoni baxxa mistenni tilħaq l-aqwa tagħha fuq Sqallija, wara li tgħaddi minn fuq il-Gżejjer Maltin. Għalhekk, ix-xita l-aktar qawwija mhux se tkun qed taħkimna. Madankollu, xi ħalbiet tax-xita xorta waħda għandhom jaffetwawna, bi ftit minn dawn ikun qawwijin u possibilment anke bir-ragħad kultant. It-total ta’ xita jista jaqbeż 10 mm fl-inħawi l-aktar milquta. Ix-xita se tkun tal-ħamrija. Iċ-ċans ta’ xita se jkun l-ogħla l-Erbgħa 25/03 filgħodu, għalkemm xi ħalbiet tax-xita se jkunu possibbli mit-Tlieta 24/03 filgħaxija sal-Ħamis 26/03 filgħodu.

It-temperatura ta’ l-arja se tkun ta’ 16 C / 12 C l-Erbgħa 25/03, qabel ma tinżel 13 C /9 C il-Ħamis 26/03.