Fears of a ‘Mediterranean hurricane’ hitting Malta have been calmed by Malta’s Met Office, with forecasters predicting wet and very windy weather but nothing requiring red warnings.
Concerns about a massive gregale storm reaching Malta were sparked by widespread flooding in Sicily and southern Italy over the past days.
Locally, forecasters were predicting force 7 northeasterly winds, heavy rain and possibly hail between Wednesday and Thursday night.
But while a low pressure system to the south of Malta will continue over the coming days, it will not lead to the tropical storm-like conditions that many had feared.
A Mediterranean hurricane, or ‘Medicane’, is characterised by torrential rain and winds reaching speeds of up to 54 knots. The current low pressure system does not qualify as one. A Medicane could possibly develop by Friday, the Met Office said, but it will be positioned over the Ionian Sea.
Strong winds, less rain
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the Met Office said that the heaviest rainfall of the week had already passed, having occurred overnight between Monday and Tuesday.
East-northeasterly winds will be “rather strong to strong” later on Wednesday, though forecasts have also been downgraded there: instead of three consecutive days of force 7 winds, forecasts are now for winds to reach force 7 on Wednesday before moderating to highs of force 5-6 on Thursday and Friday.
“For this reason, the Meteorological Office is not expecting to issue red warnings in the coming days,” the Met Office said, though it advised people to be prepared for winds, especially in affected areas.
Wednesday evening could be wet and thundery at times, it said, with cloudy weather and showers expected on Thursday. Winds will also turn from east-northeasterly to northwesterly later that day.
The outlook for Friday is also rather cloudy with isolated showers, accompanied by rather strong to strong winds blowing from the West Northwest.
Fears of upcoming storm
Fears about the onset of a gregale storm spread rapidly across Malta, as reports of disastrous conditions in neighbouring Sicily prompted concerns about a similar predicament locally.
Scheduled ferry crossing to Sicily were cancelled on Thursday, and organisers of the Rolex Middle Sea Race moved its finish line to Cirkewwa as a precautionary measure. As of Wednesday morning, 13 boats competing in the yacht race were still out at sea.
Earlier on Wednesday, hundreds of public sector workers who live in Gozo were instructed to work from home on Thursday, with the civil service issuing those orders amid fears of rough seas.