Formation of altocumulus clouds ahead of a mid-level thunderstorm with a thick desert sand haze in the background. The photographer (me) was inside a very small pocket of clear air. The cause of the desert storm and the sand haze over Malta is explained in the next photo. The weather conditions that finally caused more clouds to develop at upper levels was the movement of the desert low towards the east dragging with it a line of bad weather that crossed Malta during that night. The persistent dry and warm air meant that this elevated thunderstorm produced very little rain on the ground despite numerous lightning strikes over the area. The three thumbnails show the overnight`s SLP chart, thunderstorm activity and the METAR reading over Malta respectively.