Following a wet and stormy August, Malta welcomed the meteorological autumn in September with weather conditions that were both drier and warmer than the climatic norm.

On Wednesday, the Met Office said it had recorded just 37.8 mm of rain throughout the month, with this total falling 21.4 mm short of the climatic norm.

The wettest day was September 23 when 11.8mm of rain fell within a span of a few hours.

With less than one hour of sunshine recorded, this was also confirmed to be the dullest day of the month.

In contrast to the monthly average of four storms, no lightning storms impacted the Maltese islands during September.

During this month, the high humidity, combined with calm conditions and clear skies, contributed to fog forming on two days.

The average air temperature for the month stood at 25.5°C, slightly exceeding the climatic norm for September of 24.9°C.

The hottest day was September 5, when the air temperature peaked at 34.2°C, while the lowest recorded temperature was 18.1°C on September 15.

The sea temperature was also above average, reaching 27.2°C at the surface. 

Additionally, September was slightly windier than usual, with an average wind speed of 8.4 knots.

The strongest gust, recorded on the morrow of Victory Day, reached 38 knots blowing from a west-south-westerly direction.

Meanwhile, the Met Office is forecasting a wet end to this week, with a period of instability starting on Friday.