April was sunnier than the climate norm
Lowest temperature dipped to 8.6°C, highest reached 24.6°C
Following a very dry start to the meteorological spring, April showered the Maltese islands with 28.6 mm of rainfall, according to the Met Office in Luqa.
This total exceeded the norm for April by 9.9 mm of rain.
The second day of the month was the wettest (11.6 mm of rainfall) as well as one of the gloomiest with only 2.3 hours of sunshine recorded.
The month’s only thunderstorm hit the islands five days into April.
On the third day, the month’s strongest gust of 40 knots blowing from a northwest-by-west direction was measured, as wind warnings for the exposed areas of the Maltese Islands were issued by the Meteorological Office.
April was windier than the climate norm, having maintained an average wind speed of 10.1 knots rather than the expected 9.5 knots.
April’s lowest temperature dipped to 8.6°C on the seventh day, while the highest reached 24.6°C in the second half of the month.
The month was cooler than the climate norm, with the mean air temperature standing at 16.0°C rather than the expected 16.4°C. The mean sea surface temperature, on the other hand, was 0.4°C higher than the climate norm of 16.3°C.
While wintry weather lingered a little longer into April, the month was sunnier than the norm with over 270 hours of sunshine clocked.