Second warning of cold, wind and rain

The maximum temperature is expected to drop by 8°C on Friday, with the maximum temperature reaching 12°C, which is 4°C below the average for March, the Malta Airport MetOffice said. It issued its warning this afternoon after a similar warning by a private met station yesterday. It said in a statement the weather will deteriorate due to a low pressure area extending from the Gulf of Genoa to the Balearic Islands that is moving south-east. A cold front associated with this low pressure system is expected to pass over the Maltese islands tonight changing the current warm and moderate wind conditions to gale force westerly winds and cold and showery weather from tomorrow morning. Thunder and hail showers are possible on Friday. Winds will start to abate and weather conditions improve on Saturday as an anticyclone over Algeria will move over Libya. Maltaweathersite.com said yesterday that the gale force winds will be accompanied with waves seas of at least seven metres and possibly even higher at times.