UPDATED: Weather stations disagree on record temperature
The mercury did not rise higher than between 6-7 degrees celsius today, making it the coldest day at least for 20 years, according to Malta Weather Services, a private weather station.
But the Metereological Office at Malta International Airport said the maximum temperature during the day was 10.5 degrees at Luqa, which was five degrees below the average, but not a record.
Malta Weather Services (MWS) said that today was the coldest day since is started recording temperatures at Balzan in 1987.
"The maximum temperature today was only 7.9°C at Balzan. In fact, for most of the day, the temperature hovered at around 6°C or 7°C. The previous coldest day ever was on 31st January 1999 with a maximum temperature of 8.5°C. Also, of note was the previous coldest maximum temperature for February recorded on 7th February 2006 with a maximum temperature of only 8.7°C," MWS said.
Tonight the minimum temperature is expected to be around 4°C under cloudy skies but if the clouds clear and the wind calms down then the minimum temperature tonight could be even lower, especially in valleys and low-lying areas, Malta Weather Services said. Tomorrow is also expected to be cold with a maximum temperature of around 12°C but with the wind turning to southerly on Wednesday maximum temperatures are expected to be around 16°C or 17 °C later on this week.
The Meteorological Office at Malta International Airport said when contacted, however, that although today's maximum temperature was five degrees below average, it was not a record.
It said the temperature today rose to 10.5 degrees in Luqa. The Met Office explained that the day felt colder because of wind chill.
The temperature had by 6.30 p.m.dropped to eight degrees.
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In Discussion
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Alex Ellul
Feb 7th, 17:44
and then there's what is called the UHI: Urban heat Island. This is the effec that urban heat, and the airport suffers a lot from this and may actually be giving us temperature readings that are higher than they should be, has on temperature records. That wide and long black runway and related black asphalt raises the temperature readings.
The outlying station readings should be given more weight.
Mark Vella Gera
Feb 23rd 2008, 00:24
It seems that the problem of Luqa temperatures over reading began when the Met Office moved to new offices in Gudja, as the thermometer screen is badly situated in a car park with black tarmac and close to the aircraft apron, both of which could significantly contribute to an false increase in temperature.
John Mallia
Feb 19th 2008, 14:51
Some reasons for recording different temperatures have already been discussed in the other comments (though it's also the case with wind, humidity, rainfall, etc). However, it is very pertinent to point out that there exist professional standards for the measurement of these parameters, which aim at acquiring a uniform picture as possible, i.e. measuring a parameter at different locations (say temperature) at the same time, using similar instruments calibrated to the same standard, and in similar conditions. The Met Office in Luqa, the only WMO-recognised weather observation station in Malta, has been doing this for 60 years at the airport and in other locations previous to that. This it has been doing as part of a vast network of global weather stations. Moreover, the fact that the Met Office is an aviation station means that the standards it has to adhere to are stricter. For the sake of its relevance, it would be interesting to know what kind of instruments MWS was using during its existence, and in what standard of location they were sited.
Duncan Axisa
Feb 18th 2008, 20:19
Reported dry air temperature variations can occur due to the measurement being taken by thermometers of different types (liquid-in-glass, resistance type), due to temperatures being taken at different locations (Balzan vs. Luqa), due to temperatures being taken at different times of day (mid-afternoon vs. evening) and due to temperatures being recorded in different conditions (shade vs. sun). In addition, errors in taking the actual measurement are a factor. This is why meteorological measurements (such as temperature) should be retrieved from an official weather station as designated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The WMO official weather station for the Maltese islands is the Meteorological Office at the Malta International Airport (MIA) which is staffed by professional meteorologists and meteorological technicians. Meteorological measurements from the Meteorological Office at MIA should not be compared with other unofficial measurement stations such as those reported by Malta Weather Services (MWS). Duncan Axisa National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Charles Yousif
Feb 18th 2008, 10:49
There is nothing strange about registering different temperatures at different locations. Malta is an island and is strongly affected by sea breezes. Moreover, other factors such as vegetation, pollution, height above mean sea level and wind direction, all affect temperatures. It is not possible to compare temperatures if they were not taken at similar situations e.g. height of thermometer above ground, as well as sensitivity and accuracy of the instrument itself. Hence, data taken at specific sites are not representative of Malta, especially in terms of say, wind speeds. Scientific methods exist that can provide a holistic approach such as the typical meteorological year.
Chris Bugeja
Feb 18th 2008, 08:49
I have been keeping weather records for years now and can confirm that temperatures in Malta vary from one place to another. Yesterday in Rabat Malta we only had a maximum of 6.4 degrees during the day.
What I find strange is that Luqa (where the Metoffice is located) tends to register higher temperatures during the day, even when compared with other weather stations run by the metoffice across the island, such as Birkirkara, which is more to the centre and densely populated. Perhaps the Metoffice can explain further this phenomenon.
Joseph E Briffa
Feb 17th 2008, 23:49
It's amazing how the air temperature varies appreciably in different places even in tiny Malta. My car digital thermometer registered the external temperature at 7C in Zabbar, 6C at Mosta and 5C in Rabat; all taken between 8 and 9p.m. Strangely, the temp in my backgarden at San Gwann at 10.40 p.m. is 9C..