Air Temperature

Highest Maximum 22.2°C 2nd
Lowest Maximum 13.3°C 30th
Highest Minimum 13.9°C 1st 
Lowest Minimum 8.8°C 26th

 

Mean Maximum 16.8°C
Mean Minimum 11.6°C
Mean 14.2°C

 

Relative Humidity

Highest Relative Humidity 100% Several days
Lowest Relative Humidity 40% 2nd

 

Mean Relative Humidity 84.2%

 

Atmospheric Pressure

Highest Atmospheric Pressure 1028.7hPa 17th
Lowest Atmospheric Pressure 995.6hPa 25th

 

Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1015.5hPa

 

Wind

Highest Gust 72.4km/h 26th

 

Mean Wind Speed 11.9km/h
Mean Gust Speed 37.9km/h
Mean Wind + Gust Speed 24.9km/h
Most Frequent Wind Direction Northwest

 

Precipitation

Total Rainfall During March 2020 33.3 mm
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 391.7 mm

 

Highest 24 Hour Total 10.3 mm 10th

 

Rain Days 10
Thunderstorm Days 1
Hail Days 1

 

Rainfall Events

04/03/2020 0.5 mm Isolated Light Rain
05/03/2020 1.6 mm Isolated Showers
09/03/2020 1.4 mm Isolated Showers
10/03/2020 10.3 mm Showers
21/03/2020 0.6 mm Isolated Light Rain
24/03/2020 0.2 mm Brief Light Rain/Drizzle
25/03/2020 9.5 mm Showers; Isolated Thunderstorm with Hail
26/03/2020 1.6 mm Isolated Light Rain
27/03/2020 1.5 mm Isolated Light Rain
30/03/2020 6.1 mm Showers; Persistent Drizzle

 

March 2020 Compared to the Climate Means 

  Climate Mean March 2020 Anomaly
Mean Maximum Temperature 17.0°C 16.8°C -0.2°C
Mean Minimum Temperature 10.9°C 11.6°C +0.7°C
Mean Temperature 14.0°C 14.2°C +0.2°C
Mean Relative Humidity polska-ed.com 79% 84.2% +5.2%
Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1016.1hPa 1015.5hPa -0.6hPa
Mean Wind Speed 18.9 km/h 11.9km/h -7.0km/h
Most Frequent Wind Direction Northwest Northwest 0°
Total Rainfall 39.8 mm 33.3 mm -6.5 mm
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 512.8 mm 391.0 mm -121.8 mm
Total Rain Days 7 10 +3
Total Thunderstorm Days 2 1 -1
Total Hail Days 1 1 0

 

March 2020 eases winter’s drought

With 33.3 mm of rain, March 2020 was wetter than both January 2020 and February 2020 combined. Only 6.4 mm were measured in the previous two months combined. The total of 33.3 mm still means that last month was, albeit by a narrow margin, drier than average. Some localities around the Maltese Islands had a wetter March though. It was down to the spatial variation in heavy rain cells on the 25th and 30th. The 10.3 mm measured on the 10th was the highest 24 hour total since last 11th December  All in all, March 2020 helped ease the drought that has gripped the Maltese Islands since the beginning of December 2019.

A glance at data reveals that the Maltese Islands experienced a typical March temperature-wise. The mean temperature of 14.2°C was only a marginal 0.2°C above the climatic average. Daytime highs averaged 16.8°C, 0.2°C below the norm. Delving deeper, however, will reveal that nighttime lows were on the whole more than half a degree warmer than usual. Values of air temperature varied evenly over the course of March 2020. A notable observation is the lowest maximum temperature of 13.3°C, measured on the 30th. No day was as cold in either January 2020 or February 2020.

March is typically one of the windiest months locally. March 2020 was much calmer, with only one day of gale-force winds. This was the 26th, when the month’s highest wind gust of 72.4 km/h from the Northwest was measured.

Atmospheric pressure clocked in at an average 1015.5hPa, slightly below the average for this time of year. This was a stark contrast to atmospheric pressure readings in January 2020 and February 2020. Both months were characterised by extremely high atmospheric pressure. It was the result of a strong positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The pattern flipped during March. A strong high pressure developed close to the British Isles. This expanded to cover a large part of central and northern Europe. The high pressure over those regions deviated the storm track south, encouraging low pressure systems to reach the central Mediterranean.