Forecast strong winds have forced the cancellation of four Virtu Ferries trips between Malta and Sicily on Friday while the departure times of other crossings have been moved forward.

The operator has cancelled the 7.30am and 6pm departures from Malta and the 7pm and 9.30pm departures from Sicily and moved the 5am departure from Malta to 4am and departure from Sicily from 8.30am to 7 am.

Two extra crossings will be made on Saturday.

A Meteorological Office spokesperson said, the wind is expected to pick up significantly during the day on Friday - up to Force 7, and warnings will be issued.

The day is also expected to be slightly cooler than it has been in the past few days, although it will be normal for this time of year. 

Many parts of Europe have been experiencing sudden weather changes in the past few days.

Photos were taken a day apart in same space in Slovenia. Photo: MeteoWeb Facebook

The warmest day recorded in Malta this month was on April 1 at 29.4°C, and the lowest was on the 6th at 10.4°C. The maximum temperature ever recorded in April was 30.7°C in 1985.

The spokesperson said, “The warmer weather experienced in the past days was caused by a ridge of high pressure over the Atlantic extending towards the central Mediterranean and Libya. This high pressure then moved over most of western Europe and continued to extend towards the Maltese Islands.”