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Cars were damaged by falling stones in Mellieha and St Julians and a sailing yacht went adrift between Manoel Island and Ta' Xbiex last night as gale force winds battered the Maltese islands.

A police spokesman said reports of damage were received from all over Malta as well as Gozo.

The cars in Mellieha and St Julian's were damaged when walls collapsed.

The Armed Forces of Malta said the skipper of the sailing yacht 'Fusion' alerted the AFM's Operations Centre that his vessel was adrift between Manuel Island and Ta' Xbiex.

The Maritime Squadron's search-and-rescue launch 'Melita-1' was deployed and managed to secure the yacht alongside the Gozo-ferry berth in Sa Maison, Pieta`.

The Civil Protection Department was also busy on the roads, clearing debris strewn over the streets by the strong wind and the rain. Four sizeable tree trunks were reported to the AFM after they were found blocking Council of Europe Road in Luqa. The AFM deployed a bulldozer which cleared the road.

The AFM also cleared debris from a collapsed wall in Mdina Road, Zebbug.

Trees were uprooted in many localities, including a large 40-year-old tree near the law courts in Valletta.

Damage was also reported to the Xarolla windmill in Zurrieq. At Zabbar a bus shelter was pulled from its mountings by the wind. Hoardings in a number of localities were also damaged.

Meanwhile informed sources also reported that a garage roof collapsed in Fgura at about 10 p.m. The garage was empty and no one was injured.

The MIA Met Office said it recorded a maximum gust of a gust of 62 knots from the South to the East in Selmun yesterday evening. The strongest gust at Luqa was 46 knots at 9.30 p.m.

It said the passage of a warm front yesterday afternoon brought with it some scattered rain and a rather humid and warm air mass. This was followed by the passage of a cold front yesterday evening bringing with it a strong veering of winds.

A maximum gust of 46 knots from the South by West was registered yesterday at Luqa Airport at 9.30. Other localities also experienced strong wind gusts, especially the exposed area of Selmun with a maximum gust of 62 knots from the South by East.

The maximum gust ever recorded from Luqa Airport was 72 knots on October 11th 1982.

Today the winds are expected to be rather strong to strong from the Southwest which will slightly diminish later on. The Meteorological Office has already issued a strong wind warning valid till 4.00pm.

However, the winds are expected to increase overnight to very strong with the possibility of reaching gale force again.

The maximum temperature for Friday and Saturday is expected to be 12C which will slightly increase between Saturday and Sunday.

More information is available from maltairport.com/weather

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