The country was barely eight weeks into 2019 when it was hit by the worst storm in a generation. 

Roads were flooded, trees knocked down and buildings reduced to rubble by winds reaching hurricane-level speeds. 

By the end of the year, however, that storm was overshadowed by another form of turbulence: political instability caused by fallout from the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation. 

In between, the nation saw its construction sector forced to a halt by a spate of building collapses, a landslide victory for Labour at European Parliament elections and activists tie themselves to trees in a desperate attempt to save them from the chop. 

As Malta bids farewell to a turbulent 12 months, Times of Malta looks back on some of the biggest stories of the year.