Exactly 13 years ago today, on 25th October 2010, a massive thunderstorm hit the Maltese Islands, causing widespread flooding and some very memorable scenes.

On that day, high levels of rainfall caused major flooding across the islands, but mostly in the central areas of Malta - including Qormi, Birkirkara and Balzan.

The floodwaters bursting through these localities were so intense that they caused considerable damage and even managed to break into one undertaker’s Qormi warehouse!

The floods went on to carry away empty coffins into the street, all whilst damaging some 800 coffins in total, according to reports. It certainly made for some memorable video clips at the time...

But that’s not the first time 25th October brought about extreme weather…

That’s right, the storm that happened 13 years ago pales in comparison to the one that hit the islands on 25th October 1979 – a storm that sadly claimed the lives of four people.

Similar to the storm in 2010, low-lying areas including Marsa, Msida and Birkirkara were the most badly affected by flooding, with life rafts having been brought in to rescue people who became trapped by floods at the Marsa Sports Ground.

According to news reports, the four people who lost their lives to the storm on that fateful day were Vivien Huntingford, 55, who drowned when her basement in Attard flooded; English tourist Loraine Wales, 39, who was washed away by the fierce water in Salina; Anthony Galea, 64, and John Herbert, 51, of Suffolk, whose cars were carried away by the floods.

Do you remember these storms?

Maltese Islands Weather / Facebook