We are in the last days of March. Normally, we’ll be expecting the weather to start improving gradually. We usually expect steadily rising temperatures, an increase in the number of sunny days and the fading away of strong winds. After a record-breaking drought in the winter months, things really seem to have turned around. It seems like we’re getting having winter weather in spring.

Winter was characterised by a positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The combination of strong high pressure over the Azores and deep low pressure over Iceland meant that storm systems were prevented from reaching our region. This meteorological situation has long dissolved. Lately, a strong high pressure has developed close to the British Isles. In the coming days, this is set to strengthen and expand to cover large parts of central and northern Europe. The high pressure over those regions has deviated the storm track south, encouraging low pressure from over the Atlantic to reach the Mediterranean instead. Furthermore, air always moves from areas of high pressure towards areas if low pressure. As a result, we are experiencing movement of air from over northern Europe (high pressure) towards the Mediterranean (low pressure). The air from northern Europe is cold. These settings lead to colder and wetter weather for our region, as we’ve experienced in the past days.

This state of affairs will go on for a while. Expect most days to be cool. Some days will also be cloudier and with a chance of rain. Winds will be strong too from time to time.

Ninsabu fl-aħħar jiem ta’ Marzu. Normalment, inkunu nistennew li t-temp jibda jaqleb għal aħjar bilmod. Nibdew nistennew li t-temperaturi jitilgħu gradwalment. Inkunu mxennqa għal jiem twal xemxin u nuqqas ta’ riħ. Wara li kellna xitwa b’nixfa rekord, l-affarijiet vera jidhru li daru. Jidher li qed ikollna temp xitwa fir-rebbiegħa.

Ix-xitwa kienet ikaratteriżżata minn North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) pożittiva. Kumbinazzjoni ta’ pressjoni għolja qawwija fuq l-Ażores u pressjoni baxxa fonda fuq l-Iżlanda wasslet biex sistemi ta’ maltemp kienu mwaqqfa minn li jersqu lejna. Din is-sitwazzjoni metejoroloġika issa spiċċat. Dan l-aħħar rajna li pressjoni għolja qawwija żviluppat fuq ir-Renju Unit. Fil-jiem li ġejjin, din se tissaħħaħ u tinfirex lejn iċ-ċentru u t-tramuntana ta’ l-Ewropa. Dan kollu wassal biex sistemi ta’ maltemp ġew imbuttati lejn in-nofsinhar, biex b’hekk sistemi ta’ pressjoni baxxa minn fuq l-Atlantiku qed jilħqu l-Mediterran minflok. Apparti minn hekk, l-arja dejjem timxi minn rqajja ta’ pressjoni għolja lejn rqajja bi pressjoni baxxa. Kaġun ta’ dan, qiegħdin nesperjenzaw moviment ta’ arja minn mit-tramuntana ta’ l-Ewropa (pressjoni għolja) lejn il-Mediterran (pressjoni baxxa). L-arja minn fuq it-tramuntana ta’ l-Ewropa hija ta’ temperatura kiesħa. Riżultat ta’ dawn ir-raġunijiet, ir-reġjun tagħna jesperjenza temp aktar kiesaħ u imxarrab bħal ma rajna dan l-aħħar.

Din is-sitwazzjoni mistennija tippersisti għal xi zmien. Stennew li diversi jiem ikunu friski. Xi wħud se jkunu wkoll b’sema msaħħab u b’ċans ta’ xita. Ir-riħ se jkun qawwi minn żmien għal żmien ukoll.