It’s expected that Malta’s east coast will be battered by strong winds reaching up to force 7 and heavy rain over the next couple of days, with the Met Office at the Malta International Airport even issuing an orange alert.

The rough weather is visiting the islands as storms in neighbouring Sicily have left two people dead, cars overturned, entire streets submerged in water due to torrential downpour and whole regions on high-alert. Locally, the Met Office said that they are expecting moderate to heavy showers with thunder today and strong winds becoming very strong over affected areas.

A spokesperson at the office said that they expected the largest volumes of rain to fall between Wednesday and Thursday evening. Eastern coastal areas will be especially vulnerabke to the rough weather and Force 7 winds, which are forecast for the next three days, can reach speeds of 61km/hour and are considered to be one step below gale force.

The poor weather forecast is the result of a low-pressure system to the south-east of the island. The system, known as a depression, will remain practically still until tonight, before it starts moving towards Sicily on Thursday. Though weather conditions are expected to improve significantly as of Thursday evening, once the system shifts away from Malta, we would definitely recommend keeping your umbrellas close.

An MIA spokesperson urged people to take the necessary precautions and that the Office will be issuing warnings accordingly.