January in Malta was characterised by slightly warmer temperatures, lower rainfall and heavier winds than what is usually experienced during this period. Rainfall was considerably lower than the January norm of 92.9mm, reaching a total of just 49.6mm, the Met Office said today.
The total rainfall collected on the wettest day was 15.8mm. Thunder was heard on five days (20th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 26th), which is more than the three-day average. Meanwhile, it hailed for one day (26th). No fog was seen.
In total, six strong wind warnings were issued to the general public on land and another four warnings were directed to those at sea.
For the major part, the wind blew from the Northwest direction at an average speed of 10.4 knots. This is more than the climate norm of 10.2 knots. The maximum gusts of 38 knots were recorded on the 12th and the 23rd, from the Northwest and the West by North direction respectively.
Last month, the average temperature stood at 12.9°C, which was slightly warmer than the climate norm of 12.7°C. The highest temperature peaked at 18.3°C on the 17th. Meanwhile, the lowest temperature recorded was 2.1°C on the 1st. The lowest grass minimum recorded was -0.4°C on the night between 31st December 2014 and 1st January 2015.
The level of humidity in January was 78 per cent, which is slightly lower than the norm of 79 per cent. Average sea temperature around Malta stood at 16.4°C, which is 0.6°C higher than the norm of 15.8°C. A high mean sea level pressure was noted on the 9th with a value of 1037.2hPa.
In January, the islands saw an average of 5.2 hours of sunshine per day, adding up to a total of 162.7 hours for the entire month. This was slightly higher than the norm of 162.5 hours. The brightest days were the 6th, 15th and 21st, each seeing a total of 9.3 hours.
Meanwhile, the 1st and the 30th were the dullest days of the month, with no sunshine.
Photograph: Alain Salvary