The Climate of the Maltese Islands

This lesson was contributed by:

Geography Department

This lesson is for:

Lesson Duration:

80 mins.

What should you expect from this lesson?

In this lesson we will interpret a simple climate graph of the Maltese Islands showing the average monthly temperature and rainfall. We will also interpret the distribution of wind direction on a wind rose and recognise the difference between convectional and frontal rainfall as experienced in Malta.

Print this lesson

Press the button to print this lesson

Share on print
Print

How to carry out this lesson at home:

Malta experiences a Mediterranean type of climate with hot dry summers and cool wet winters.
Your first task in this lesson is to plot a climate chart for Malta either manually or using Excel. Use the data provided below and make sure the graph has labels, title and is drawn neatly and accurately.

As we know from previous lessons a climate chart summarises the climate of a place by superimposing a line graph representing average monthly temperature on a bar chart representing average monthly rainfall.

Directions: On a blank sheet of paper, construct a climograph with the data set given.
1. Label the x-axeis J, F, M, etc.
2. Label the left y-axis ‘temperature in degrees Celsius’.
3. Label the right y-axis ‘rainfall in millimetres’.
4. Plot temperature using a line graph.
5. Plot rainfall as a bar graph.

The following short video clip might help you draw the climograph.

1. Now study the climatic chart for Malta, and state whether the following statements are true or false.

2. Which month has:
i)    the maximum temperature and what is the temperature?
ii)   the minimum temperature and what is the temperature?

3. Which is the:
i)    wettest month of the year and how much rain fell?
ii)    driest month of the year and how much rain fell?

4. From the graph you have drawn which part of the year suffers mostly from drought? Give reasons for your choice.

5. Briefly describe the climate of the Maltese Islands by referring to the temperature and rainfall data provided.

6. Now use the data shown below to draw a temperature graph for Malta showing the average annual maximum and minimum temperatures. You can draw the graph on the grid provided in worksheet 1.

a.    Fill in the fourth column of the table by working out the Mean Monthly temperature for each month. (to calculate the mean monthly temperature add together the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of each month and divide the answer by 2).
b.    Find out the monthly range of temperature for each month. Write down your answers in the fifth column. (subtract the minimum temperature from the maximum temperature. The resulting value is the range of the set of temperature values).
c.    Find out also (showing all your working)
i)   the Mean Annual Temperature
ii)   the Mean Annual Range of Temperature.

The diagram below shows a simple wind rose. The main purpose of a wind rose is to record wind direction for a specific place. It consists of a circle, each side of which represents a cardinal point. The wind rose is drawn to scale such that the length of each arm represents the wind frequency and the diameter of the central circle represents the number of calm days.

Now use the wind rose to complete the following paragraph.

The Maltese Islands are definitely windy. The days when no wind blows are very few, and on average, there are only ______% of the days in a year. This means that in a whole year there are only ______ days which are calm.
The most common wind in all seasons is the _______________ known in Maltese as _______________ . It blows for an average of ______% of the days in a year. This wind is (cold/warm/hot) in winter, but in summer it is (hot/cool/cold) and refreshing. Next in frequency are winds blowing from the _______________ with a percentage of ______ and the North-northwest. The rest of the days that is ______%, are equally shared by other winds.
The _______________ wind known as grigal in Maltese, blows for 4.7% of the days throughout the year. It is a (cold/warm) wind that blows with great force and violence and lasts for stretches of about (ten, three, eight) days at a time. It is also accompanied by (rain, drought) and stirs up the sea into violent storms.
The winds that blow from the south are unpleasant for they bring with them humid and (cold/freezing/hot) air. These include the south-east wind. The south-wind known in Maltese as _______________ blows for ______% of the days. This wind together with the south-east originates in the North African _________________ and usually is (hot/cold) and (wet/dry). These unpleasant winds are usually dust-laden and are accompanied by ______________ rain.

Now complete worksheet 2.

The maps that follow are known as synoptic charts. By now you should know how to read and interpret such maps. You can watch this short video clip to revise some of the skills required to read a synoptic chart.

1.a. Study synoptic chart 1 dated 20th December and complete the following sentences.

i. The pressure system over Malta is _____________________ .
ii. The pressure over Malta is __________________ .
iii. The pressure in millibars over Malta is _________ .
iv. The wind is blowing in _________________ direction.

b. What does the pattern of isobars tell us about wind speed?
c. Give a simple weather forecast for Malta.
d. Describe the weather that this same system may bring to Malta on a summer’s day.

2 a. Study synoptic chart 2 dated 19th October and complete the following sentences.

i. The pressure system over Malta is ____________________ .
ii. The pressure over Malta is _________ millibars.
iii. The wind is blowing in ___________________ direction.

b. On the weather map itself shade all areas experiencing rainfall.
c. In which direction is the depression close to Malta moving?
d. During the next few hours the depression will move over Malta. Describe the sequence of weather experienced in Malta during this time.
e. What type of rainfall is characterised by a depression?
f. Explain why it rains at the warm and cold fronts in depressions.
g. Draw a diagram to show clearly how such rainfall forms. Add the following labels onto your diagram.
• Warm moist air
• Cold dry air
• Warm moist air rises
• Warm lighter air
• Cold heavy and dense air
• Air cools by 1ºC every 100m
• Condensation takes place
• Precipitation
• Front – boundary between cold and warm air
• In Malta such rainfall occurs mainly in winter
• Ground

As a final activity you can work out Worksheet 3.

Additional information about the climate of Malta is available on the Maltese Islands Weather website. Click here.

All the resources you need to carry out this lesson at home:

Featured Video of the lesson:

Share this lesson

If you enjoyed this, or think this is a great lesson, please feel free to share it on your social media tools.

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on whatsapp
WhatsApp