If you feel as if the umbrella has become an extension of your arm over the past few days, there is good reason – the rainfall this first month of autumn is already nearly double that for the whole of last October, according to the Met office.

Manholes overflowed with drainage yesterday as the streets gushed with water which carried off the covers. The Civil Protection Department advised drivers to keep a lookout for these uncovered holes.

However, it said nobody was hurt during yesterday’s downpour.

In Msida, cars were swimming in the deep water that accumulated in Valley Road, as purple-blue blots of lightning broke through the morning sky. People donned their jackets in a reminder that summer clothing would soon be cast aside.

Rainbows were seen across the island as the sun intermittently peeped through the grey clouds, only to be overcome again with the breakthrough of the autumn rains.

Tomorrow, the rainfall is set to continue with the forecast being rather cloudy with isolated showers, becoming cloudy and possibly thundery for some time. Maximum temperature is forecast at 19°C with a low of 16°C.

The northwest wind will be strong at times and very strong over the exposed areas.

However, the situation is set to improve over the coming days, with cloudy weather on Wednesday turning fair on Thursday, as it is set to remain over the weekend.

The highest temperature this week is forecast for Thursday at 23°C.