A thunderstorm - dubbed 'Storm Daniel' - is expected to hit Malta on Wednesday, with wet and stormy weather conditions expected to continue till Saturday, according to the Meteorological Office. 

The change in weather is expected to start on Tuesday, with skies becoming rather cloudy and isolated showers expected to hit the island. 

“Thundery and gusty showers are expected overnight, possibly with hail at times with the weather pattern expected to extend until Thursday,” a spokesperson for the Met Office told Times of Malta. 

The stormy weather comes less than a week after many localities were flooded by rain, damaging a church, flooding streets and resulting in some power cuts. 

Winds are also expected to pick up and reach Force 6, up from Force 4 on the day before, from a North by Northeast direction on both Wednesday and Thursday.

The maximum air temperature is expected to range between 26°C-28°C between Tuesday and Saturday, while the minimum temperature will be around 21°C-22°C.

According to the Met Office, showers and strong winds are also expected on Friday, Victory Day, a national holiday in Malta. More thundery weather is expected for Saturday. 

The spokesperson said weather warnings for thundery activity, moderate to heavy rainfall and strong winds, are set to be published by the Met Office in the coming days.

Yet, the weekend ends on a more pleasant note, with Sunday forecast to be mainly with sunny skies and light wind. 

The spokesperson explained that the change in weather expected in the next few days is a result of a low-pressure system that is presently over Greece.

The system - dubbed Storm Daniel by Greece - will intensify and move over the Southern Ionian Sea, before hitting Malta.

Due to the upcoming storms, the Naxxar feast organisers have rescheduled their ground fireworks display, which was originally meant to take place on Wednesday, to take place on Monday evening instead.

Is such stormy weather usual for September? 

The spokesperson confirmed that similar storms are locally quite common during September. 

In September 2020, a total of 134.7mm of rainfall was recorded in five days, as Malta battered against heavy thundery showers. Two lightning warnings and two heavy precipitation warnings were issued for the public. 

Last year, a total of 60.2mm of rainfall was measured in two days.