• The second month of winter produced 42.1mm less rain than the climatic norm
• The highest temperature in January rose to 24.5°C; The lowest dropped to 6.7°C
• Brighter-than-average January boasted 181 hours of sunshine

This winter season is proving to be a rather mild one thus far, as January, much like the previous month, lacked the cold, rainy weather which is typically associated with this time of year. As was the case in 2023, the Maltese Islands welcomed the new year with warm temperatures, and relatively dry weather.

In fact, during the past month, only 37.3mm of precipitation was measured, falling 42.1mm short of the climatic norm. The same month saw the Meteorological Office report thunderstorms across the Maltese islands on two days in January, and only one occurrence of precipitation with hail.

Last month was also 1.2°C warmer than the norm, registering an average temperature of 14.1°C. The 18th of January brought with it a glimpse of summer, as the highest temperature soared to 24.5°C. Yet, the record for the highest temperature recorded by the Meteorological Office in the first month of the year remains that of 25.8°C, reached in January 2021.

On the other hand, 23^rd January became the coldest day of the month when the air temperature dipped to 6.7°C. While this temperature is significantly cooler than the norm, January 1981 still holds the record for the lowest temperature ever measured during the month, as the mercury plummeted to 1.4°C.

Last month was also brighter than usual, exceeding the climatic norm by 11.5 hours to register 181 hours of sunshine. Despite the fact that the average January day saw 5.8 hours of sunshine, less than one hour of sunshine was recorded (0.9) on 11^th January, the month’s gloomiest day.

At 9.0 knots, the average wind strength was in line with the monthly norm of 8.9 knots. The sixth and seventh days of January were the windiest, as gusts reaching 47 knots were measured across both days.

Published on 08/02/2024