The long-awaited heavy convectional rain certainly got going around Malta this
week. As often the case, their most intense rain often comes from quite
localised convectional cloud areas, as usual caused by the arrival of unstable
air over very high sea surface temperatures (32C in the Bay of Gabes
apparently).

The weather station at Balzan in central Malta operated by the owner of
Maltaweather.com....

http://www.maltaweather.com/

recorded 226mm from 4.45 to 10.30 am. on the 15th. The weather forum on that
site still has some useful further information.

This beats the 24 hour record at that site together with that at the airport
since 1947 of just over 160mm - but not the island all-time 24 hour record
which is around 16 inches (c400mm).

Having missed the heaviest rain, the airport did NOT break it's own record but
has had daily totals from 14th onwards of 61, 40, 38, 56 and 25 mm. giving a
total of 220.2mm. (data from Keith's excellent http://www.southendweather.net/
). It just proves how you ahve to be careful interpreting records when
rainfall is patchy and convectional in origin. This is quite similar to the
amounts recorded in the driest years.

Now could we just have a few millimetres around London please?

Julian

Julian Mayes, West Molesey, Surrey