Updated 12.26pm
A violent storm that swept over parts of Malta on Saturday night caused power cuts in various localities and forced at least two flights to be diverted to Palermo.
Early on Sunday morning, Enemalta was still working to restore power in Mellieħa, St Paul’s Bay and Naxxar.
During the night, two flights from London, KM Malta Airlines KM103 and Ryanair’s FR8853, were both diverted to Palermo, while the Ryanair flight FR1409 from Seville managed to land in Malta at 2.28am almost one hour and 40 minutes later than scheduled.
Several teams from Enemalta were working on a number of faults on high voltage aerial lines in rural areas around Mellieħa, St Paul’s Bay and Naxxar. An Enemalta spokesman told Times of Malta that power is expected to be restored “shortly”.
Heavy rain and spectacular lightning was reported in several parts of Malta, including Mosta, Żebbuġ, Siġġiewi and Qrendi.
Żebbuġ local council reported that the historic Dejma cross in St Philip Square was damaged during the night, possibly due to a lightning strike.
The Dejma Cross in Żebbuġ was damaged during the storm. Photo: Żebbuġ Local CouncilOn Sunday morning the council contacted the community police and the Restoration and Preservation Department to discuss possible repairs.
Earlier on Saturday, a freak hailstorm hit several parts of Malta after months of hot, dry weather.
As flash floods washed through several streets after Saturday’s showers, a few positive thinkers did not let the rain dampen their summer and were filmed enjoying watersports on the road. Meanwhile, others struggled to cross the road as water gushed ankle deep and seeped inside buses as they waded through flooded roads.
A yellow warning for isolated thundery and gusty rain or hail showers is in effect throughout Sunday.
Despite the wet weather, the temperature on Sunday is still expected to hit 30°C with a real feel of 32°C.
Msida recorded 12.4mm of rain in the past 24 hours, Mosta had 11mm, while rainfall in Luqa measured 10.3mm. On the other hand, Xagħra and Xewkija did not see a single drop.