Malta’s sizzling summer is expected take a cooler turn by the weekend, when an anticyclone will draw hot air and increase the possibility of showers.

According to meteorologist Andrea Muscat, who manages the Gozo Weather Page, an anticyclone over western and northwestern Europe will draw hot air from the central Mediterranean. This means that an incursion of cooler air from over the Balkans will rush to fill the central Mediterranean. This is expected to take place by tomorrow.

Mr Muscat said this would contrast sharply with local hot air, leading to the development of an area of low pressure.

“This will encourage several isolated showers and thunderstorms to develop around the Maltese islands. The sky will also be cloudier than recently, as the hot and moist air locally will be forced to rise, and thus form cloud,” he told the Times of Malta.

He said there would be the chance of an isolated thunderstorm affecting the Maltese islands from tomorrow to Tuesday, with the greatest chance being late in the morning and early in the afternoon.

Any rainfall, however, would be very brief, with the chance of extended periods of rain being almost negligible, he said.