Villages and towns in Malta and Gozo were blasted with heavy bouts of rainfall whipped up by gale-force winds yesterday, flooding low-lying areas and causing long lines of traffic.

The wind, from the west northwest, reached force eight at times and the Met Office issued a gale warning.

As the temperature rose to a maximum of 14°C and dipped to as low as 9°C, the rainy periods, which included hail in certain localities, were interspersed with brief sunny spells.

About 12.4 millimetres of rain had fallen in St Elmo by 3pm, with 16.4mm being registered in Selmun and 10mm in Birkirkara. The heavy rainfall soon flooded areas such as Birkirkara, Qormi, Msida and the Ferries in Sliema.

Long traffic jams formed, leaving drivers returning home in the 4.30pm rush in a state of misery.

Traffic policemen removed metal bollards separating the dual carriageway in Sa Maison to allow cars to make U-turns to ease the congestion.

The bad weather cut short Labour leader Joseph Muscat’s news conference in Cospicua and almost ruined another in Qormi, but the situation was quickly salvaged as a resident opened his doors to Dr Muscat and the media, allowing the event to continue in his living room.

Gozo was not spared either, as 8.4mm of rain fell in Xewkija and 9.8mm in Xagħra.

So far this month, there has been an average rainfall of 37.6mm, which is lower than the January average of 89 mm.

A Met Office spokesman explained that the bad weather was caused by a depression over the Ionian Sea, which moved eastwards as a ridge of high pressure extended from the Atlantic to Egypt.

Although the temperature is expected to remain unchanged today, the wind is not likely to be as strong and there will be a few isolated showers.