Cold and rainy weather expected on New Year’s Eve

People planning to celebrate New Year’s Eve at an open-air event have been advised to wrap up, with temperatures expected to plunge to 7°C on the night and light rain showers to hit parts of the island.

“The start of the New Year will not enjoy the glorious weather Malta was blessed with over Christmas, with cooler temperatures, cloudy skies and chances of rain all expected over the next few days,” the Met Office said in a statement.

7°C is also the forecasted lowest temperature for both 1 and 2 January, but the start of the year will also enjoy long, sunny intervals punctuating the rather cloudy New Year’s Day. The maximum temperature for these three days will gradually get higher; going from 12°C on New Year’s Eve to 14°C on New Year’s Day to 15°C on the second day of the year.

Light to moderate winds are expected to blow throughout the weekend, becoming moderate to rather strong during the night of 2 January.

Meteorological records show that 2015 started on the coldest note yet, when the temperature dropped to a minimum of 2.1°C.