Precipitation year second driest on record

The 2023-2024 precipitation year was the second driest on record for the Maltese Islands, the Meteorological Office has said.

In recent days, the first showers and thunderstorms signalled the arrival of autumn and winter, marking the start of a new precipitation year.

“As we look back at the recently concluded precipitation year, which spanned from September 2023 to August 2024, the statistics paint a clear picture of Malta's weather trends,” it said.

Over the past twelve months, Malta International Airport’s Meteorological Office recorded a total of 249.8mm of rainfall, making the 2023-2024 precipitation year the second driest on record.

This total was 295.5mm below the climatic norm. Rainfall was registered on 58 out of the 366 days, with only one year—1948—being drier, with just 230.7mm of precipitation measured.

From September 2023 through July 2024, every month recorded below-average rainfall.

The only exception was August, when 13.2mm of rain fell on August 22nd, surpassing the monthly norm by 3.5mm. “This brief downpour confirmed the meteorological summer of 2024 as slightly wetter than the norm, despite July being the driest month of the year, with no rain recorded at all.”

October 2023 also stood out, becoming the driest October in the Meteorological Office’s history, with only 0.2 mm of rain.

However, November—the wettest month of the year—offered some relief, with 53.6 mm of rain providing much-needed hydration for crops after a dry start to the rainy season.

22 November also marked the wettest day of the year, with 26.4 mm of rainfall.

In addition to rain, the Maltese Islands experienced 14 thunderstorms and even saw hail on three occasions: 24 November 2023, 6 January 2024, and 29 February 2024.