Christmas eve 'one of the coldest ever'
Christmas eve this year was one of the coldest ever, with a maximum of 8.8 degrees celsius being recorded, the Meteorological Office said. This was the lowest temperature measured in December since 1947, the year the official site of the office was...
Christmas eve this year was one of the coldest ever, with a maximum of 8.8 degrees celsius being recorded, the Meteorological Office said.
This was the lowest temperature measured in December since 1947, the year the official site of the office was transferred from Valletta to Luqa.
It was also the second coldest December day since 1923, when 6.7 degrees was recorded on December 22. The Met. Office's records go back to 1921.
Other cold Christmas eves were recorded on December 17, 1940, with a maximum temperature of 8.9 degrees C and December 10, 1991, with 9.2 degrees C.
The Met. Office explained that the fall in temperature this year was due to cold arctic air that reached the Mediterranean from Central Europe on Sunday evening, associated with a depression over the Gulf of Genoa.
The cold front crossed the Maltese Islands early on Wednesday morning, making the temperature drop by almost six degrees, from a high of 13.2 degrees C on Tuesday to a minimum of 7.5 degrees C on Wednesday morning.
The thunderstorms, hail showers and a strong northwesterly wind made it feel even colder.
Cities across Europe reported strong winds, sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfalls.