Strong winds and a high pressure weather system is expected to hit Malta this week, the Met Office at Malta International Airport has said. 

Strong south-easterly winds of a maximum speed of Force Six are due on Tuesday morning before dying down to Force Five by the evening.

Malta is also expected to face a spell of high-pressure weather that is making its way from Northern Europe into the Mediterranean region by Monday afternoon.

People are already reporting ears popping, as a result of the weather. 

A spokeswoman said the level of pressure was “slightly above the norm but it was not unusual for January.”

Picture: Chris Sant Fournier

The Met Office explained that by Tuesday, the atmospheric pressure is expected to reach 1032 hPa or ‘hectopascals’ of pressure. This will remain high until Wednesday evening when it will return to a normal level of around 1027 to 1028 hPa.

The highest recorded atmospheric pressure in Malta was 1037.3 hPa in 2015.

This high-pressure system is linked to a weather pattern known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and its influence over a body of high pressure known as the Azores High. This pattern is reported to be ‘positive’ meaning that it has strengthened the Azores High.

The Azores High influences the weather and climate patterns in North Africa and Southern Europe and is now influencing the Jet Stream forcing it to stay in the Northern Hemisphere. This could cause an unusually high level of pressure to spread across Western and Central Europe this week, they report.

The Maltese Islands Weather group reports that the high pressure has been causing people’s ears to pop to equalise with the pressure - a sensation normally experienced while flying.

On its Facebook page, one user commented: “Interesting! My daughter complained that her ears were popping just this morning!”

Others reported feeling unwell. “So that’s why I’ve felt strange, shortness of breath and massive headache all day," said one person. Another commented, “Now I understand why I’ve been feeling weird and a little unsteady too!”