A total 166.7 hours of sunshine continued to brighten November days in Malta but the lowest minimum temperature of 10.6˚C, recorded on the last day of the month, served as a somewhat chilly reminder that winter is close. 

Ten hours of sunshine, measured on the first Monday in November, put the week off to an extremely bright start. November 5 was the month’s sunniest day, while November 1 was marked by a total absence of sunshine. The mean cloud cover for the month was 4.1 oktas, slightly heavier than the norm.

November brought with it noticeably cooler weather. Averaging at 18.5˚C, the air temperature exceeded the norm for the month by 0.9˚C.

The mean sea temperature was also higher than usual, surpassing the norm of 21˚C by 1.1˚C. These higher-than-average temperatures appeared to reflect a wider climate trend, which suggest that the average global temperature for 2018 is set to be the fourth-highest on record.

November rain was significantly short of the month’s quota. 27.2mm of the 61mm of precipitation collected in November, were measured on the 10th day, making it the month’s wettest. On the same day, one of the six instances of thunder that punctuated the month, was reported by the Meteorological Office.

Thunder was also reported on November 27, this time accompanied by very strong winds. A maximum gust blowing at 50 knots from a north-westerly direction was measured.

In general, however, the month was not any more blustery than usual, with the wind speed averaging at 8.3 knots to equal the climate norm for this parameter.