Since Carnival is celebrated during the winter season,
weather can easily disrupt all outdoor
activities.
Here you can have a look at the weather conditions
we had during the past 13 Carnivals,
from 1991 up to the present year.
Weather
during the 5 Days of Carnival
of the past 13 years
by Joe Meilak
1991: February 8 – 12:
The weather was mostly fine or partly cloudy with a light SW wind. No
rain fell during these five days, except for a few drops on the 12th,
the last day of Carnival 1991 and maximum temperatures were unseasonably
warm at 17-18 degrees C until the 11th. The 12th
was cool and the maximum temperature managed reach only 13 degrees C. The nighttime temperatures were
11-12 degrees C until the 11th,
and cooled down to 8 degrees C on the 12th. Thus the
weather cooperated (almost) fully in 1991.
1992: February 28 – March 3:
The first day of this year’s Carnival was totally ruined due to the
very heavy rain that fell continuously throughout the day, accompanied by
thunder and very strong Easterly winds, which reached Force 8 at times.
A total of 53.6m (over 2 inches) of rain was recorded at Nadur. However,
for the remaining 4 days, the weather improved significantly and there
was no rain, with the Easterly wind becoming light. The temperatures
were quite cold on February 28th and 29th (12-14 degrees C),
but they went up to 15-16 degrees C for the remaining three days.
Minimum temperatures were 8-10 degrees C throughout the period.
1993: February 19 – 23:
The 1993 Carnival was almost totally ruined due to the inclement weather
that hit our islands. In fact there was an extremely strong wind and it
rained on each the last 4 days of Carnival. The NW wind reached Force 9
at times! It was also very cold with maximum temperatures reaching only
11-12 degrees C, with nighttime temperatures oscillating between 5-7
degrees C. Only the 19th had somewhat decent weather,
with only a trace of rain, and a moderate NW wind.
1994: February 11 – 15:
In 1994 the weather was marginally better than the previous year. It
rained on the 11th and 13th and the NW wind was
strong to very strong on the 11th, 12th and 14th,
reaching Force 8 on each of these days. Maximum temperatures were a cold
13-14 degrees C and minimum temperatures dropped to 7-9 degrees C.
1995: February 24 – 28:
We had ideal
Carnival weather this time around. The weather was fine to
partly cloudy, except for the 28th when it was overcast, but
no rain fell, except a trace on the 25th. It was also warm
– maximum temperatures rose to 17-19 degrees C, and 20 degrees C
was recorded on the 27th. The W and NE wind was very strong
on the 25th and 28th, reaching Force 8, but only
moderate during the rest of the period.
1996: February 16 – 20:
This year the Carnival was split 50/50 weather-wise. We had rainy and
cold weather on the 16th and 17th, but nice
weather from the afternoon of the 18th through the 20th.
The wind was moderate to strong from the N till the 18th, and
then it blew strongly from the SW on the 19th and 20th.
Maximum temperatures were 14-15 degrees C till the 18th,
and then rose to 17-18 degrees C on the last two days of Carnival
1996. Nighttime temperatures fluctuated between 8-13 degrees C
throughout the period.
1997: February 7 – 11:
The 7th was a rainy day, but the rest of this year’s
Carnival had decent weather. The wind was light to moderate from the E
until the 9th, and then it became from the NW. Temperatures were between
14-16 degrees C during the day and 10 degrees C at night.
1998: February 20 – 24:
Finally a year with almost perfect Carnival weather! No rain fell except
for a trace on the 23rd. The wind was light to moderate from
the WNW on the 20th and between E and SW for the rest of the
period. Temperatures were quite warm at 17-18 degrees C during the
day and 10-12 degrees C at night.
1999: February 12 – 16:
The 12th was one of the coldest days of 1999, when the
maximum temperature reached just 9 degrees C and at night it dropped
to an almost record 3 degrees C! No ‘maskerati’ dared to venture
out for sure! The wind was very strong from the NW and we had rain,
thunder and hail throughout the day. Rain fell in small amount till the
15th, and the weather continued generally cloudy and cold.
The temperature hovered between 10-12 degrees C from the 13th
to 16th. At night it was a very cold 4-7 degrees C.
2000: March 3-7:
Nothing to complain about this year! The weather was generally fine and
warm. No rain fell and temperatures were a comfortable 16-17 degrees C
during the day and 6-9 degrees C at night. The wind was mostly light
to moderate throughout the period.
2001: February 23 -27:
Another ‘lucky’ strike for 2001. Mostly fine and dry weather
dominated Carnival 2001. Only a trace of rain fell on the 25th
and 26th. Warm temperatures again were the rule with 15-18 degrees C being recorded during the day and
9-12 degrees C at night.
The wind was moderate and occasionally strong, mostly from the NW to SW.
2002: February 8 -12:
Three in a row! Last year the weather cooperated as well with Carnival.
Only 1.5mm of rain fell on the 9th, with the rest of the
period being mostly fine and dry. The wind was moderate and occasionally
strong from the NE to NW and temperatures were 14-16 degrees C
during the day and 10-12 degrees C at night.
2003: February 28 - March 4: All
in all Carnival 2003 was a good one weatherwise, if one disregards the
strong wind that affected us on March 3rd and 4th - the last two days of
the Carnival. The only rain that fell was a meager 3.1mm on the night
before the first day of Carnival. Maximum temperatures were at an
acceptable 14-15 degrees C while at night we had temperatures ranging
from 11 to 12 degrees C. The sky was partly to mostly cloudy while the
wind was moderate to rather strong from the ENE on February 28th;
moderate from the NW on March 1st and 2nd, and strong to very strong
from the NW on March 3rd and 4th, with gusts reaching 55.7kmh on both
days.
And
what about Carnival 2004?
Although it is still kind of early to state with a certain degree of certainty, the indications are the following: from Friday 20th to Saturday 21st, the weather is expected to be mostly cloudy and warm (18 to 19 degrees C), with no rain. Sunday, February 22nd, is expected to be mostly cloudy with showers in the afternoon and with the highest temperature of around 15 or 16 degrees C. Then, the weather on Monday and Tuesday is expected to be mostly cloudy with chances of isolated showers. Tuesday is expected to be quite a windy day.
But this is only an indication –
please keep checking this page and www.gozoweather.com
for the latest weather updates.
