Rainfall in March was well above the monthly norm, the MIA Met Office confirmed on Wednesday, adding that the month was also warmer than usual.

The Maltese Islands received 81 mm of rainfall, exceeding the monthly norm by 41.3 mm. The wettest day was March 25, when the islands were drenched in 34.4 mm of blood rain within less than 24 hours.

A low-pressure system over Algeria swept large amounts of Saharan dust across the central Mediterranean from around mid-March until the end of the month.  The same murky skies were observed on March 2 and 7, when sunshine hours dropped to zero.

Despite the rainfall, the weather remained warmer than the norm, MIA said. March registered an average temperature of 15.7°C, exceeding the monthly norm by 1.6°C.  The month's highest temperature was recorded on March 11 at 25.5°C, while the coldest night was registered on March 21, when temperatures dropped to 9°C.

The month was also windier than usual, with an average wind speed of 11.3 knots; 1.8 knots higher than the seasonal average. The strongest gust was recorded on March 24, blowing from the south by west at 40 knots.

The Met Office said mostly fine weather is expected for the Easter weekend.

For Maundy Thursday it is forecasting strong winds from the west-northwest (Force 5 to 6), which are expected to ease to Force 4 to 5 by the evening.

By Good Friday (April 18), winds will continue to calm down, becoming light and variable by the evening. Daytime temperatures are expected to reach 21°C, dropping to 13°C at night. Similar weather is expected for Holy Saturday (April 19).

On Easter Sunday (April 20), sunny conditions with light winds are forecast. Temperatures are expected to peak at 21°C during the day and dip to 14°C at night.

maltairport.com/weather.