Storms ‘doing farms no good’

Hot and dry Maltese summers may conjure up images of farmers eagerly anticipating the rain but the unseasonal storms of the last few days have done crops no good whatsoever, say the farmers. “We farmers still stick to the old calendar,” said Anna Zahra, president of the Ta’ Qali market committee. “We typically start bringing crops in on the feast of St Bartholomew on August 24, so this rain has been very bad for farmers.” Over the last week, sea temperatures of 29 degrees Celsius, well above the norm for August, caused thundery clouds to form and expand rapidly over the Maltese islands,... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.