February colder, wetter than average

If you felt there was no respite from the chill and rain last month, you were right because February was colder and wetter than the average for the past 30 years, according to the Meteorological Office.

February 13 marked the start of the colder part of the month, with the average air temperature falling to around 2°C below the mean and persisting until the end of the month.

The warmest day was February 3, when the temperature peaked at 19.1°C. A mean average relative humidity of 74.6 per cent was recorded, 4.4 per cent lower than the average since the last 30 years.

The sea temperature was 15.7°C, slightly warmer than average.

A total of 118.4 mm of rain fell at Malta International Airport and the wettest day was February 23. Thunder struck on four days.

The average wind speed was 9.5 knots and the most frequent direction was northwest to west. On February 9, Malta experienced the strongest gust of the month - 40 knots from the west-northwest.

In February, an average of six hours and 37 minutes of bright sunshine a day was recorded.