Virga from altocumulus castellanus clouds as the Maltese Islands were under the influence of an African low pressure system. Such weather is typical for Spring. Notice how the virga is brown in appearance indicating falling blood precipitation, in Maltese known as xita tal-hamrija. Through comparison with the weather sounding on the fourth thumbnail, precipitation was falling from altocumulus clouds turned into cumulonimbus, as thunder was heard overhead. These cloud heights were between 3km and 5km. The background clouds partially obscuring the sun were the same species of the former. However, their base was much higher estimated at around 6.4km. Hence, the term duplicatus could be added to the cloud type. The first thumbnail is the same weather photo taken few moments earlier showing the sun trying to break out through a hazy sky also indicated the isolated nature of the clouds. Notice that blood weather, that is a sky filled with desert sand, is much difficult to photograph bringing out the full details. The second thumbnail was a panoramic photo taken in Wied Blandun showing the upper-level cumulonimbus cloud filled with dust. It looks very diffuse with no distinguishable feautures as very hazy conditions were obscuring specific cloud details rendering it very similar to nimbostratus (which of course it was NOT). The third thumbnail is a sunrise photo taken on the following morning showing a quite impressive dust corona around the sun due to the persistent desert sand haze as illustrated by the dust map on the seventh thumbnail. The dusty cloud formations were the result of an extensive upper-level cold front crossing the Central Mediterranean during the afternoon as depicted and compared by both the visible satellite image and the surface pressure chart on the sixth and fifth thumbnails respectively. Whilst the cold front did bring high-altitude thunderstorms with some blood rain, it did not result in any change of weather conditions at the surface as further dusty conditions followed.