Coldest February day since 1962

The highest temperature registered by the airport's Meteorological Office yesterday was just 8.7°C, making it the coldest February day since February 15, 1962 when the maximum temperature had reached only 7.2°C.

Chief meteorological officer Stephen Porter said yesterday that the coldest February day since the Met. Office started keeping records in 1922 was in 1929 with a high of 6.7°C. The overall mean maximum temperature in February is 15.01°C.

"A depression, or area of low atmospheric pressure, centred over Crete together with an anticyclone, or high pressure area, over the Balkans generated a swift moving current of cold air passing first over the south of Italy onto Sicily and the Maltese Islands," Mr Porter said.

"As the fast moving air did not pass over long stretches of relatively warm water it reached our area rather cold and dry."

Dry air, Mr Porter said, had an extra cooling effect on human skin and more humid air did not feel so cool.

A number of readers reported hail showers on Monday night. Mr Porter confirmed that such showers were reported in Mosta, Ghar Lapsi, Cospicua, Zabbar and Marsaxlokk.

There are on average two days of hail in February but there was a record of seven in 1965, followed by six days last year.

The greatest number of hail days in a year, 15, were observed last year.

The Meteorological Office at Malta International Airport is Malta's national meteorological service. It has records dating from 1947 at the airport and since 1922 for records from Pietà and Valletta.