Malta faced desert-like conditions in 2024, the driest in ten years
There has been a 17% drop in average rainfall in recent years compared to the long-term average
Malta experienced weather conditions similar to those found in desert climates between September 2023 and August 2024, according to a report by the Energy and Water Agency.
While Malta's climate is usually classed as semi-arid, with low to moderate rainfall of between 250 to 500 millimetres annually, the hydrological year 2023-2024 was by far the driest in the last 10 years. Just 220.3mm of rain fell during this period, making it more akin to a desert.
Each month during this period saw below-average rainfall. The situation has since improved.
The previous driest year ever recorded was 1961, when Malta received 274.2 mm of rain.
Aridity is a long-term climatic condition characterised by a persistent lack of precipitation relative to potential evapotranspiration (the loss of water from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere), leading to limited soil moisture and reduced biological productivity.
The Aridity Index, calculated as the ratio of annual precipitation to potential evapotranspiration, is an important numerical indicator of the level of scarcity of natural water resources in a particular climate.
“Regions which experience such arid conditions pose several challenges to agriculture due to their harsh environmental conditions,” the EWA report states.
Droughts were also registered in 2016/17 and 2020/2021, while over the past 16 years, 12 of those years experienced annual precipitation levels below the long-term (between 1940 and 2024) average
The average annual rainfall between 2008 and 2024 was 458mm, indicating a 17 per cent reduction in rainfall in recent years when compared to the long-term average.
Zooming into more specific geographical areas, the report states that Valletta and Xewkija experienced the largest decline in precipitation in recent years.
The report says that reliable information on rainfall deficiencies and changing rainfall patterns is essential for water resources planning and management, given Malta’s semi-arid climate and the prevailing conditions of water scarcity.
“Drought monitoring is therefore considered as a key component of integrated water resources management in Malta’s context as its occurrence not only affects the agricultural sector and food production but also natural resources, social wellbeing, and the national economy.”
The report calls for greater diversification of water supply and the sustainable use of non-conventional water resources.
A 2022 NSO study by Prof Charles Galdies shows that Malta’s average rainfall has decreased by 10.3 mm every decade since 1952.