Strong winds are expected to whip up around Malta this weekend in the lead-up to Christmas, according to the Malta Meteorological Office. 

A breezy start is expected on Friday, with isolated showers and a very strong Force 7 west-northwesterly wind blowing over the island. The temperature today is expected to reach a peak of 16°C and dip to a cool 11°C by night. 

On Saturday, December 21, strong Force 6 to 7 winds are expected to hold up around Malta, with a forecast of cloudy skies and air temperature set to reach highs of 15°C and lows of 10°C. 

The wind is set to remain strong on Sunday, December 22, but will likely blow down to a Force 5 to 6, with temperatures climbing to 15°C during the day with a low of 12°C by night.

Christmas Day itself is set to be fairly chilly and cloudy with the maximum temperature on December 25 expected to reach 12 °C and the minimum expected to drop to 7 °C. A moderate Force 4 wind north-northeast wind is also predicted, expected to later become north-northwest on the day. 

This is set to be far cooler than average, with the typical climatic norms for December usually reaching a maximum of 17.2°C and a minimum air temperature of 11.8°C. 

The warmest-ever Christmas on record was that of December 25, 2009, when the mercury hit 23.6°C on Christmas Day. 

But Malta’s cloudy Christmas is set to be an improvement over the days preceding it, with a windy weekend breaking into isolated showers on Monday and thundery showers on Tuesday. 

The rain is expected to ease on Wednesday. 

The strong wind conditions expected in the days leading up to Christmas will be caused by a low-pressure system which is currently developing over the Gulf of Genoa, and is expected to move Southwards across the Tyrrhenian Sea tomorrow, reaching Sicily and the Maltese Islands by tomorrow night, the Met Office said.

Since the wind direction is expected to vary between West and Northwest, these winds cannot be referred to as a Gregale, as Gregale winds blow from the Northeast direction.