Rain in June? Not as uncommon as you think...

Rain and thunder might not be a common sight in June, but historical data from the Met Office indicates that it’s not as uncommon as one might think.

A spokesperson from the Met Office told MaltaToday that the precipitation climate norm for June is 6mm. So far, 1.4mm of rain have been measured in June 2023.

Indeed, the highest rainfall amount in the last 30 years was recorded in 2007, when a whopping 76.2mm was registered.

This is followed by 2016 when rainfall amounted to 32.8mm.

Thunderstorms are also not uncommon. In the past 30 years, June had two thundery days in six of these years. These include 1996, 1997, 2003, 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Meanwhile, another seven years had one thundery day. These were 1994, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2016 and 2017.

Low pressure over Libya causing instable weather

According to the Met Office, the current instability over the islands is a result of an area of low pressure over Libya extending over the central Mediterranean.

This is leading to cloudy skies with rain, with some localities experiencing thunder showers.

This weather is expected to persist throughout the day, overnight and tomorrow.

Strong Easterly winds ranging from force 5 to 6 are expected over the day, with a yellow wind warning currently in place for wind conditions across the exposed areas of the Maltese islands.

What’s in store for the rest of the week?

Tuesday is set to remain cloudy and rainy with isolated thundery showers, becoming cloudy with showers overnight. Winds will range from rather strong to strong. Maximum and minimum temprates of 23°C and 17°C are expected.

For Wednesday, the Met Office is expecting partly to rather cloudy skies with a maximum temprature of 24°C and a minimum of 18°C. Light North-Northeast winds are expected, later becoming North-Northwest.

Thursday should bring fine weather with high clouds, with a maximum temperature of 26°C and a minimum of 18°C. Light West-Northwest winds will become West throughout the day.

Friday will be rather cloudy with light South-Southwest winds, and a maximum temprature of 27°C and minimum of 20°C.

Saturday will remain rather cloudy with light Southerly winds becoming moderate to rather strong East-Southeast. Tempratures will reach a maximum of 28°C and a minimum of 20°C.

Sunday will also be rather cloudy with a light North-Northwest wind, and temperatures ranging from 27°C to 20°C.