MIA's Met Office has commissioned new automated weather stations (AWS) in Mosta and San Lawrenz, raising the number of its weather stations to 10.

The office said it had previously had limited visibility in relation to weather parameters in Mosta and the central area of Malta.

 The station at San Lawrenz is the northwesternmost automated weather station of the network. It will provide a better understanding of Gozo's weather patterns, being the first station to register meteorological conditions brought about by the northwestern winds.

"Given that the weather conditions across the Maltese Islands can vary significantly from one location to the next, the two new stations, in addition to the ones found in Bengħajsa, Dingli, Valletta, Msida, Selmun, Xagħra, Xewkija and Luq, will capture additional weather data that will allow for a more complete assessment of Malta’s climatological situation," the Met Office said. 

The new stations are equipped with instrumentation and sensors that measure precipitation, temperature, humidity, dew point and wind speed as well as capture the wind direction. Real-time updates of the different weather parameters from all 10 stations is available to the public through the Malta International Airport website.

The Meteorological Office thanked Mosta Secondary School Żokrija and San Lawrenz Primary School for accepting to host the automated weather stations on their respective school premises.