Formation of local cumulus clouds over the Islands as the rather bizarre position of the Azores High centred north of the British Isles directed an unstable NE current towards Malta rather than forming in the Azores and extending east. The first thumbnail is another view of the local clouds formed in the day whilst the second thumbnail is the weather sounding recording instability and light winds at all levels of the atmosphere. Despite the potential of a thunderstorm, it only occured briefly offshore, perhaps the reason was that there was a prevailing breeze not allowing the airmass enough time to heat inalnd hence rising straight upwards. The fifth thumbnail shows the visible satellite image depicting local cloud formations on the western sides of both Malta and Sicily. Notice that due to the slightly stronger NE wind, the clouds looked more like steam of a kettle rising from land.