Air Temperature

Highest Maximum 35.8°C 15th August 2020
Lowest Maximum 12.4°C 6th January 2020
Highest Minimum 26.3°C 1st August 2020
Lowest Minimum 7.3°C 5th January 2020

 

Mean Maximum 22.8°C
Mean Minimum 16.9°C
Mean 19.8°C

 

Relative Humidity

Highest Relative Humidity 100% Several Days
Lowest Relative Humidity 20% 31st August 2020

 

Mean Relative Humidity 78.3%

 

 

Atmospheric Pressure

Highest Atmospheric Pressure 1034.7hPa 9th February 2020
Lowest Atmospheric Pressure 995.6hPa 25th March 2020

 

Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1017.4hPa

 

Wind

Highest Gust 74.0 km/h (Force 8) 5th February 2020

 

Mean Wind Speed 16.8 km/h
Most Frequent Wind Direction Northwest

 

Precipitation

Total Rainfall During 2020 381.7 mm

 

Highest 24 Hour Total 112.1 mm 14th September 2020

 

Rain Days 62 days
Thunderstorm Days 25 days
Hail Days 9 days

 

Rainfall Events

12/01/2020 0.5 mm Drizzle
13/01/2020 5.9 mm Isolated Showers
14/01/2020 1.5 mm Isolated Light Rain
21/01/2020 1.0 mm Isolated Light Rain
05/02/2020 0.5 mm Light Rain/Hail
04/03/2020 0.5 mm Isolated Light Rain
05/03/2020 1.6 mm Isolated Showers
09/03/2020 1.4 mm Isolated Showers
10/03/2020 10.3 mm Showers
21/03/2020 0.6 mm Isolated Light Rain
24/03/2020 0.2 mm Brief Light Rain/Drizzle
25/03/2020 9.5 mm Showers; Isolated Thunderstorm with Hail
26/03/2020 1.6 mm Isolated Light Rain
27/03/2020 1.5 mm Isolated Light Rain
30/03/2020 6.1 mm Showers; Persistent Drizzle
02/04/2020 0.5 mm Drizzle
04/04/2020 5.9 mm Isolated Thunderstorms
20/04/2020 1.6 mm Light Rain and Drizzle
29/04/2020 0.2 mm Drizzle
27/05/2020 TR mm Severe Thunderstorm in Malta; Drizzle in Għarb
30/05/2020 6.6 mm Rain Shower
20/07/2020 0.3 mm Light Rain Shower
06/09/2020 0.3 mm Light Rain Showers; Thunderstorms at Sea
07/09/2020 TR mm Few Spots of Rain; Isolated Thunderstorm in Malta
13/09/2020 15.3 mm Moderate Thunderstorm; Light Rain
14/09/2020 112.1 mm 4-Hour Long Heavy Thunderstorm; Hail
16/09/2020 2.5 mm Isolated Thunderstorm; Heavier in Malta
22/09/2020 0.1 mm Few Spots of Rain
23/09/2020 1.1 mm Isolated Shower
27/09/2020 2.3 mm Blustery Shower; Distant Thunder
05/10/2020 0.5 mm Drizzle; Distant Thunder
06/10/2020 1.4 mm Isolated Light Thunderstorm
12/10/2020 3.6 mm Frequent Light Rain
13/10/2020 0.3 mm Isolated Light Rain Shower
19/10/2020 7.6 mm Periods of Rain
27/10/2020 12.3 mm Thunderstorm; Brief Light Rain
28/10/2020 6.8 mm Heavy Rain Shower
08/11/2020 0.1 mm Early Drizzle
15/11/2020 3.2 mm Morning Shower
17/11/2020 17.9 mm Thunderstorm; Period of Steady Rain
21/11/2020 13.8 mm Isolated Showers; Thunderstorm
22/11/2020 9.4 mm Light Rain; Thunderstorm with Hail
23/11/2020 6.2 mm Showers; Distant Thunder
24/11/2020 8.3 mm Showers; Distant Thunder
25/11/2020 10.8 mm Showers; Distant Thunder
26/11/2020 0.8 mm Light Rain
29/11/2020 16.1 mm Showers; Thunderstorm
02/12/2020 4.7 mm Showers
03/12/2020 6.9 mm Showers; Distant Thunder
04/12/2020 0.3 mm Light Rain
06/12/2020 2.9 mm Showers; Distant Thunder; Hail
07/12/2020 1.4 mm Showers
09/12/2020 3.6 mm A.M. Light Rain; P.M. Thundery Rain/Hail Shower
10/12/2020 0.7 mm Light Rain
11/12/2020 8.0 mm Showers
12/12/2020 16.0 mm Thundery Rain/Hail Showers
13/12/2020 1.3 mm P.M. Shower
19/12/2020 6.9 mm P.M. Thunderstorm
20/12/2020 6.8 mm Showers; Distant Thunder
21/12/2020 20.6 mm Thunderstorm with Hail
26/12/2020 1.7 mm P.M. Isolated Shower
27/12/2020 12.3 mm Blustery Rain/Hail Showers

 

2020 Compared to the Climate Means

  Climate Mean 2020 Anomaly
Mean Maximum Temperature 20.8°C 22.8°C +2.0°C
Mean Minimum Temperature 15.6°C 16.9°C +1.3°C
Mean Temperature 18.2°C 19.8°C +1.6°C
Mean Relative Humidity 76% 78.3% +2.3%
Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1016.5hPa 1017.4hPa +0.9hPa
Mean Wind Speed 16.4 km/h 16.8 km/h +0.4 km/h
Most Frequent Wind Direction West Northwest Northwest +22.5°
Total Rainfall 585.6 mm 381.7 mm -203.9 mm
Total Rain Days 84 days 62 days -22 days
Total Thunderstorm Days 26 days 25 days -1 day
Total Hail Days 8 days 9 days +1 day

 

Month-by-Month Summary for 2020

January 2020 – Warmer and Drier (SECOND DRIEST ON RECORD)

February 2020 – Warmer and Drier (DRIEST ON RECORD)

March 2020 – Warmer and Drier

April 2020 – Warmer and Drier

May 2020 – Warmer and Drier (Wetter in areas due to severe thunderstorm on 27th)

June 2020 – Cooler and Drier

July 2020 – Average Temperature and Rainfall

August 2020 – Warmer and Drier

September 2020 – Warmer and Wetter

October 2020 – Cooler and Drier

November 2020 – Warmer with Average Rainfall

December 2020 – Warmer with Average Rainfall

 

2020: An Overall Warm and Dry Year

2020 was warmer than normal. With a mean temperature of 19.8˚C, the annual average was exceeded by 1.6˚C. The greatest difference from the climate mean was recorded in minimum temperatures. The months of June, July and October were the only ones with temperatures not above the norm. No month this year broke any temperature records. The hottest day in 2020 was to be 15th August, with a 35.8˚C maximum. On that same day, the mercury soared to 38˚C across central Malta. The coldest night of 2020 came in the first week of the year. The thermometer dipped to 7.3˚C on 5th January. A colder 5˚C was measured at the airport on the same night.

2020 was a very dry year overall. A total of 381.7 mm was measured. That is a staggering 200 mm below the climate average. January 2020 became the second driest January on record. February 2020 broke the record for the driest February ever. In fact, with just 0.5 mm of rain, it was as dry as June, July and August. By the end of June, or halfway through the year, only 57.5 mm of rain were measured. A reasonably wet autumn in the second half of 2020 eased the drought. The highest 24-hour total in 2020 was of 112.1 mm on 14th September. Much of this fell in a heavy thunderstorm that went on uninterrupted for some four hours. This value accounted for just under 30% of the year’s total rainfall. Earlier in the year, on 27th May, the central and southern stretch of Malta experienced a severe thunderstorm. There was heavy rain, large hail, damaging wind gusts and also a waterspout.

Averaging at 16.8 km/h, the wind speed conformed with the value of a typical year. A pattern worth noting was the higher frequency of windy days (Force 5 to 6), but the lower incidence of gale-force winds (Force 8 to 9). The highest gust last year was registered at 74km/h from the Northwest, during a gale on 5th February.

Overall, the average atmospheric pressure was slightly higher than the norm. The months of Janaury and February were characterised by persistent blocking anticyclones. These are areas of high pressure that remain stationary over an area for several weeks. Bringing long days of uninterrupted bright sunshine, these anticyclones were responsible for the extreme drought experienced at the start of 2020. The highest value of atmospheric pressure was recorded on the 9th of February. It reached 1034.7hPa. The lowest value of atmospheric pressure, on the other hand, was recorded on 25th March. It dropped to 995.6hPa, as an intense low pressure system traversed the central Mediterranean.

2020’s highlights were without a doubt the severe thunderstorm on 27th May and the heavy thunderstorm on 14th September.

At least two thunderstorms drenched Malta on 27th May. The second of these, which struck in afternoon, was confirmed as having been severe. It produced wind gusts of up to Force 8 (over 62 km/h), hailstones with a diameter of around 2.5 centimetres (the size of a €2 coin) and a confirmed waterspout (dissipated over the beach) close to Armier Bay. Total rainfall ranged from 6.4 mm (Birżebbuġa) to 41.2 mm (Għargħur). On the day, an upper-level low pressure system over the central Mediterranean brought relatively cold air from the Balkans over a warm central Mediterranean, creating a great deal of instability with towering cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds that sparked heavy showers and thunderstorms. The wind was very light at all levels of the troposphere, allowing the storms to build up gradually as a result of diurnal heating. Colder air in the upper levels of the atmosphere increases instability. This is because the warmer air at ground level, being lighter and more buoyant, tends to rise. This vertical movement cools the rising air, causing the moisture within to condense and form clouds.

Around mid-September, at least four main thunderstorms struck the Maltese Islands. The first came in the early afternoon of Saturday 12/09. This drenched central and southern Malta. With 67.2 mm of rain, Luqa was the wettest locality. The second thunderstorm occurred in the morning on Sunday 13/09. This affected areas further north. Nadur and Mellieħa found themselves at the centre of this storm, with rainfall values of 40 mm each. The third and most intense storm struck at noon on Monday 14/09. It packed rainfall rates of up to 167 mm / hr, gale force winds and dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning. The island of Gozo bore the brunt of it all. It had to endure nothing less than four hours of torrential rain. In the end, the localities of Għarb and Xagħra had received the most rainfall, with 112.1 mm and 102.0 mm respectively. The 112.1 mm total from Għarb is equal to 1/5 of a typical year’s rain and almost three times the typical September’s rain. The sea surface temperature around the Maltese Islands last summer peaked at 29⁰C, a full 2⁰C warmer than the average. The high sea surface temperature contributed to increased rates of evaporation, which in turn, led to an increase in humidity levels. Around that time, a short-wave upper-level low pressure system passed across our region bringing relatively cold air over a very warm sea. This created a great deal of instability. In addition to this, a greater amount of moisture was available to be advected into these thunderstorms. The end product were the thunderstorms with intense rainfall. The absence of wind aloft meant that the entire zone of instability, along with all the individual thunderstorms within it, were extremely slow-moving. This exacerbated further the amount of rainfall dumped by the storms.