After a full year of drier-than-average months, October was unusually wet, windy and stormy, the Met Office's monthly report has said. 

Three times the expected amount of rain fell on the Maltese islands, with 246.2mm recorded.

It was the wettest October since records began, after October 1951 (476.5mm) and October 1957 (254.2mm).

On the wettest day of the month – October 25 – 51.6mm of rainfall was measured.

More than half of the month’s total rainfall descended during the last week of October as a low-pressure area developed to the south-east of the Maltese islands and brought a bout of inclement weather. 

Eight thunderstorms - five of which were reported in the first 14 days - made October a stormier-than-average month. It was still just half the number reported in October 2018, however, when 16 thunderstorms rattled the Maltese islands.

Windy and dark

Having maintained a higher-than-average mean wind speed of 9.2 knots, last month was also blustery. The maximum gust of 38 knots was recorded on October 7, blowing from a northwest by west direction.

Averaging at 20.7°C, the air temperature for October was lower than the climate norm of 21.5°C. While the month’s highest temperature of 27.5°C was recorded on October 5, the lowest temperature dipped to 14.7°C on October 17, as a result of the movement of a cold airmass towards the central Mediterranean from the Balkan Peninsula.

The mean sea surface temperature, however, was 1.5°C higher than the climate norm.

October 17 interrupted generally gloomy weather with 10.5 hours of bright sunshine. 

During the month, the sun shone for 39.5 hours less than the expected 218 hours of sunshine, partly because of cloudier skies throughout. The mean cloud cover for the month stood at 4.1 oktas rather than the norm of 3.6 oktas.