Hailstorm deters Christmas shoppers

Hailstones the size of grapes came crashing down on Sunday morning, putting a damper on Christmas Eve and making it difficult for last-minute shoppers to hit the stores.

Only certain parts of Malta were struck by the heavy hail. The Malta International Airport's Meteorological Office said the hailstorm struck just before 11 a.m. after a thunderstorm.

The storm was caused by a cyclone over the central Mediterranean, Therence Wentusch, forecaster at the Met. Office said.

More than 13 millimetres of rain fell in Luqa between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m., though it is deemed "normal" for this time of year.

The rain led to flooding in certain parts of the island and two people had to be rescued from their cars in Valley Road, Birkirkara, Civil Protection Department head Peter Cordina said. Some people tend to take risks by driving through flood-prone areas, he added.

The CPD was also called out to extinguish two fires - one in Swieqi and another in Mtarfa - but Mr Cordina said on the whole this was an incident-free Christmas.

The police said that no major accidents took place over the Christmas period. The only one of note was a traffic accident in Naxxar in which four people were injured, two of them seriously.

The accident happened at about 2 a.m. on Christmas morning when a Fiat Punto, driven by a 30-year-old man from Sannat, was involved in a collision with a Hyundai driven by a 23-year-old woman from Kirkop.

The police said two 25-year-old girls, one from Mosta and another from Valletta, were travelling in the Hyundai.

The four people were taken to hospital - the drivers were seriously injured and the other two were suffering from slight injuries.

The Environment Landscapes Consortium, which is responsible for embellishing certain public areas, is expected to hold a meeting today to look at the damage caused by the thunderstorm. A big tree was uprooted in Balzan and some street lighting was also damaged, according to ELC human resources head Norman Mifsud.

Better weather is expected for New Year's Eve. Mr Wentusch said the forecast was isolated showers in the morning that would clear up by the evening.