• April’s mean air temperature of 16.1°C equalled the monthly norm
• Just over 212 sunshine hours measured in April
• Month was drier than average, with just 2.2mm of precipitation collected

APRIL ROUND-UP

A bright start to the meteorological spring was followed by rather dull April weather as an interplay of meteorological factors led to the formation of different cloud types, varying between low-lying clouds and high-level cirrus, throughout the month.

Maintaining a mean cloud cover of 4 oktas, April was cloudier than the climate norm and received 36.3 hours of sunshine less than the monthly quota of 248.7 hours. While the last Sunday of the month clocked up 12.6 hours of mood-boosting spring sunshine, the sun was not even briefly glimpsed on four April days.

Moreover, dust in suspension, which led the Maltese islands to experience hazy and muggy weather, was observed on the 3^rd, 22^nd, 23^rd and 27^th of April.

April’s air temperature ranged between a low of 9°C, recorded on the tenth day, and a high of 25.9°C reached on the twenty-eighth day. At 16.1°C, the mean air temperature for April equalled the norm for this time of year. The sea, on the other hand, was warmer than expected, with the mean surface temperature standing at 16.6°C rather than the norm of 16.1°C.

The drier-than-average trend that has been observed since the beginning of the year persisted in April, with the month yielding just 2.2mm of the expected 20.8mm of precipitation. 1.2mm of April’s total precipitation were measured on the 5^th of April, which was also one of the month’s four sunless days.

April 16^th too was marked by an absence of sunshine and very strong winds, with the month’s highest maximum gust of 40 knots blowing from an easterly direction being recorded on the day. Blowing at 10.7 knots, the average wind speed for April was higher than the norm of 9.5 knots.

WEATHER OUTLOOK

The coming week is forecast to be mainly sunny and dry, with a slim chance of thunder on Saturday and a rain shower on Wednesday.

The westerly and southerly winds are expected to dominate the next days, with the wind picking up to become rather strong (F5-6) from a northwesterly direction on Saturday.

The average air temperature will range between a low of 17°C and a high of 25°C, with the UV level reaching 10 on Sunday.

Published on: 13.05.2021