Malta blanketed in dust as winds from Sahara desert bring hazy skies

Parts of Malta were blanketed in dust as winds from the Sahara desert brought hazy skies that are likely to continue through Tuesday. 

The dusty conditions began on Monday with many misinterpreting the hazy skies as mist. 

A spokesperson for the Meteorological Office at the Malta International Airport said a low-pressure system over the Western Mediterranean is generating a strong south-westerly airflow originating from the Sahara Desert. 

“These winds are lifting and transporting desert dust across the central Mediterranean, with some of it also reaching parts of eastern Europe,” the spokesperson told Times of Malta. 

The weather forecast for the first week of January. Photo: Malta International Airport

Temperatures are expected to reach highs of 19˚C, with a rather strong Southwest wind, becoming a moderate South Southwest wind.

While the week starts on a dusty note, that all changes when Wednesday brings with it wind and isolated showers. The wet and windy weather will continue on Thursday, with temperatures dropping, expected to feel like 11˚C.

Keep your umbrellas ready for the weekend, as Saturday is forecast to be  windy and wet, with a slight change on Sunday, which will be windy and partly cloudy.

The dusty skies from Madliena. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

The start of the new year has brought with it unsettled weather. New Year’s Eve was the wettest in 18 years after a persistent “unstable airmass” that saw 12.2mm of rain across Malta and Gozo. 

January is typically one of the wettest months of the year with average temperatures around 15 °C.