2022 was Malta’s second driest year in the past decade

Jan 14 2023

According to data released by the Malta Meteorological Office, 2022 was the second-driest year of the past decade, having registered just 368mm of rain.

The year clocked a much higher than average amount of sunshine, totalling 3,124 hours. The amount of sunshine far outmatched the amount of rainfall, making 2022 the second driest year of the island in the past 10 years.

December broke any hopes that the onset of the meteorological winter would bring the rainfall measured throughout the previous 11 months of the year closer to the normative 543mm. December saw just 6.4mm of precipitation, with 1.0mm of said precipitation descending in the form of dew.

December 2022 became the driest one since 1922, as well as the 8th consecutive drier-than-average December. December mornings saw mist, fog and heavy dewfall, particularly during the latter half of the month.

These resulted from clear skies, light and variable winds as well as evaporation from surfaces that were still water-charged with November’s above-average rainfall. This accounted for 41% of the year’s total precipitation. November was both the wettest month as well as the stormiest one, with six thunderstorms out of a total of 17 which battered the island.

Meanwhile, May, July and September were all wetter than normal as the rest of the months produced less rain than the monthly quotas. February saw 4.0mm of precipitation rather than the expected 69.0mm, making it one of the driest on the records.

The first four months of 2022 were all colder than expected, with the first three months each having a day with hail. January 2022 was the coldest January in Malta since 2019 (with the lowest temperature of the year at 4.2°C.

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Man reports argument in police station with injuries to his face

Jan 14 2023

Yesterday, at around 2000hrs, police were informed that their assistance was needed in Triq San Ġorġ, St Julian’s.

Before police could convene on site, a 24-year-old Gambian man resident of St Julian’s enters the police headquarters of the same area with injuries to his face.

He alleged how he was involved in an argument in an establishment a few minutes earlier in Triq San Ġorġ. Police convened on site and fund a 33-year-old Pakistani man resident of Sliema, who had also suffered some injuries.

The two men were transported to Mater Dei for further medical attention. The 24-year-old was later certified as having suffered light injuries whereas the other man was confirmed to have suffered grievous injuries.

Police investigations are ongoing.

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Ride-sharing service COOL to cease operations in Malta

Ukrainian shows hometown wreckage though viral TikTok

Jan 14 2023

A Ukrainian TikToker posted a video which has since went pretty viral showing her favourite places in her hometown after having been bombed and shelled by Russian forces as the war rages on.

@maligoshik

#ukraine #kharkiv thank you russia

♬ Che La Luna – Louis Prima with Sam Butera & The Witnesses

Using the TikTok trendy song ‘Che La Luna’ and the stereotypical ‘what do you want’ hand gesture, user @maligoshik showed snapshots of herself outside her once favourite buildings in her hometown.

These included her school, her favourite restaurant, shopping mall and university, all bombed and no longer in operation. She captioned the video ‘thank you Russia’ and, speculating by the hashtags used, it could be assumed that her hometown is Kharkiv, one of the worst hit cities in the country.

The video has since amassed 691.2K views and 6826 shares, with commenters offering their support for the young TikToker. The Russian invasion of Ukraine still shows no signs of dying down as the neighbouring country continues to be targeted by Vladimir Putin’s military forces.

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