Malta woke up to a stormy Saturday morning as heavy rainfall, thunder and lightning swept across the Maltese Islands, leaving several localities flooded and causing disruption on roads and in public areas.From garbage bags floating down Valley Road in Msida to floodwaters rushing through Buġibba Square, footage sent to Lovin Malta captured the impact of the thunderstorms across different parts of the country.The storm began in the early hours of Saturday, with thunder and lightning reported across the islands, while some areas also experienced hail. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)According to weather Facebook page Aġġornament tat-Temp, rainfall initially remained relatively low despite the intensity of the thunder and lightning. However, conditions changed as heavier showers moved across Gozo and Malta.By Saturday morning, central Malta had received more than 20mm of rainfall, according to the weather page, with several roads and public spaces quickly becoming flooded.One of the areas affected was Valley Road in Msida, where footage sent to Lovin Malta showed garbage bags floating down the flooded street. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)The rubbish bags could be seen being carried away by strong currents of rainwater as water continued flowing along the road.Meanwhile, in Buġibba, footage showed rainwater rushing through Buġibba Square, covering the pedestrian area and reaching pavement level. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)Further footage sent in by readers showed flooding in Bormla, Żebbuġ and Paola, with roads covered in accumulated rainwater following the morning’s downpours. In Paola, water was also seen entering a shop, leaving the premises flooded.The thunderstorms were accompanied by widespread lightning activity across northern and central Malta.Popular Facebook weather page Maltese Islands Weather shared a lightning detection map captured at around 7.34am, showing activity around Mellieħa, Manikata, Xemxija, St Paul’s Bay, Qawra, Mġarr, Mosta, Baħrija and Rabat.Numerous lightning detections were also recorded over the sea surrounding northern Malta, particularly near coastal areas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)At around 8.15am, further heavy showers were expected across southern Malta, with a temporary improvement forecast by 9am before additional rainfall after 11am.The Malta Meteorological Office has also forecast further isolated showers and strengthening northwesterly winds throughout Saturday, with Sunday expected to remain partly cloudy but windy.Temperatures are expected to reach 25°C on Saturday and 26°C on Sunday.Was your locality affected by this morning’s thunderstorms and flooding?•