Warm December despite freak hailstorm

Imagine waking up and finding over a foot of hail outside your door and having to dig your car out because of the depth of the ice.

The Meteorological Office said this freak storm was December's highlight that mostly affected Valletta and Birkirkara, even though last month was the warmest December compared to the typical 30-year average.

The amount of ice was due to sub-zero temperatures at low levels which did not allow the hail to rapidly melt when up in the clouds. The storm hit the island on December 27.

The total rainfall registered at Luqa Airport amounted to 102.8 mm, slightly less than the 30-year mean for December. Thunderstorms happened on four days last month with precipitation being recorded on 14 days.

However, the total number of days with thunderstorms was below the December norm since 1951.

The highest rainfall recorded in December in the past 85 years was in 1970, when a total of 302.6 mm fell over the Maltese islands.

The Met Office said the mean air temperature last month was 14.6 degrees Celsius. While the mean minimum temperature was higher by 0.9 degrees Celsius, the mean maximum temperature was lower than the 30-year December average by 0.2 degrees Celsius.