Mild weather in April

April, while hot in politics, was mild weatherwise.

Most aspects of the weather were in line with statistical expectations for the month, although generally slightly on the lower side, the Meteorological Office said.

Total rainfall was 21.4 mm, slightly less than the 26.6 mm average for the past 30 years. The wettest April was in 1994, when 118 mm of rainfall fell at Luqa, while the driest was 1956, when only a trace was recorded during the whole month.

April had an average 7.8 hours of bright sunshine per day; slightly less than the mean of 8.3 hours, suggesting a slightly cloudier than average month.

No thunderstorms were recorded, while two foggy nights occurred near the end of the month.

The mean temperature for the month was 15.5°Celsius, very close to the 30-year mean of 15.6°C. The warmest April ever was that of 1998, when a mean temperature of 17.7°C was reached; while the coldest was that of 1980 with 13.9°C.

The highest temperature recorded at the Malta International Airport Meteorological Office was 23.6°C, measured on the last day of the month; a temperature which is about seven degrees lower than the record 30.7°C measured in April 1985.

The lowest temperature this month was 9°C, recorded on April 5, while the year 1956 continues to hold the record of 4.4 °C as the lowest ever temperature for April since the Met. Office started operating in 1922.

Although there were five days with spells of strong winds, the overall mean was 8.7 kts which is rather low when compared to the 30-year average of 10.2 kts. The predominant wind direction during April was Northwest.

http://www.maltairport.com/weather