In March 2024, the Maltese Islands experienced notably dry and warm weather, consistent with trends observed earlier in the year and in late 2023.
Rainfall for the month totalled only 8.8mm, significantly lower than the expected 39.7mm for this time of year. Unlike the typical occurrence of two thunderstorms in March, there were none recorded this year, although two instances of fog exceeded the usual one foggy day.
The mean temperature was 15.8°C, warmer by 1.7°C compared to normal, and on Easter Sunday (March 31st), temperatures peaked at 27.9°C, offering a taste of summer. The highest temperature on record for March remains 33.5°C, recorded in 2001. Conversely, the lowest temperature in March 2024 dropped to 8.6°C on the 15th.
March also saw abundant sunshine, with 263.7 hours recorded, exceeding the norm by 38.9 hours. The brightest day was March 28th, with 10.8 hours of sunshine, while March 26th had the least sunlight due to dust suspension, with just over an hour of sunshine recorded.
These weather conditions were influenced by a low-pressure system extending from Western Europe to Algeria, causing strong winds over the Sahara Desert that reached the Maltese Islands. The average wind speed for March was 9.6 knots, and the strongest gust, reaching 42 knots, occurred on March 4th from the West Northwest.
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