The MetOffice yesterday confirmed people’s complaints about the inclement weather, pointing out that the first two weeks of February were 2.7°C lower than the average for the month.

It also turns out that St Valentine’s Day was the coldest day of the month so far, with 3.6°C.

The lowest temperatures for the day recorded previously at Malta Airport were in 1999, with 2.1°C, and in 1984 at 3°C.

The mean temperature was for the month so far was 9.6°C, compared to the 12.3°C average for the month, although the next few days should see more moderate temperatures.

Even the rain was more than the norm, with a total of 80.6mm compared to the month average of 61.3mm.

And while it usually hails on only one day in February, this one has already had four days of hail.

The MetOffice said the cold air coming from the north was fed with a strong moisture flux from the central Mediterranean Sea, causing heavy snowfall over parts of south-eastern Europe, Algeria and other countries in North Africa.

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