Air Temperature

Highest Maximum 18.2°C 5th
Lowest Maximum 9.3°C 25th
Highest Minimum 12.8°C 3rd and 4th
Lowest Minimum 2.9°C 12th

 

Mean Maximum 14.3°C
Mean Minimum 8.9°C
Mean 11.6°C

 

Relative Humidity

Lowest Relative Humidity 44% 23rd

 

Mean Relative Humidity 77.8%

 

 Atmospheric Pressure

Highest Atmospheric Pressure 1032.1hPa 19th
Lowest Atmospheric Pressure 997.7hPa 10th

 

Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1021.3hPa

 

 Wind

Highest Gust 59.5km/h 10th

 

Mean Wind Speed 13.3km/h
Most Frequent Wind Direction North Northwest

 

 Precipitation

Total Rainfall During January 2022 35.1 mm
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 525.3 mm

 

Highest 24 Hour Total 18.1 mm 13th

 

Rain Days 7 days
Thunderstorm Days 1 day
Hail Days 1 day

 

Rainfall Events

06/01/2022 1.3 mm Light Rain
09/01/2022 2.5 mm Showers
10/01/2022 6.6 mm Showers
12/01/2022 4.6 mm Showers
13/01/2022 18.1 mm Rainy
21/01/2022 0.5 mm Light Rain
24/01/2022 1.5 mm Rain and Hail Shower; Thunder

 

January 2022 Compared to the Climate Means

  Climate Mean January 2022 Anomaly
Mean Maximum Temperature 15.6°C 14.3°C -1.3°C
Mean Minimum Temperature 9.8°C 8.9°C -0.9°C
Mean Temperature 12.7°C 11.6°C -1.1°C
Mean Relative Humidity 79% 77.8% -2.2%
Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1018.2hPa 1021.3hPa +3.1hPa
Mean Wind Speed 18.9km/h 13.3km/h -5.6 km/h
Total Rainfall 94.1 mm 35.1 mm -59.0 mm
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 436.2 mm 525.3 mm +89.1 mm
Total Rain Days 14 days 7 days -7 days
Total Thunderstorm Days 3 days 1 day -2 days
Total Hail Days 1 day 1 day /

 

Colder than Average in January 2022

The new year started off on a relatively warm note, with the month’s air temperature peaking at 18.2°C on the fifth day. Temperatures were consistently above average throughout the first week of January. From then on, a drop in temperatures was registered. The synoptic situation for much of January 2022 was marked by persistent high pressure across western Europe and successive zones of low pressure over the Balkans. This meteorological caused a series of cold snaps to traverse the central and eastern Mediterranean, with the more intense ones coming towards the end of the month. Last month’s mean minimum temperature was calculated at 8.9°C. The coldest night was on the 25th, when the minimum temperature dipped to a frosty 2.9°C. This was the coldest night in seven years. The 25th also marked the first time in five years that the maximum temperature failed to reach the 10°C level.

Overall, January 2022 was a drier than average month. Rainfall totals varied widely, however, with a number of localities in fact registering rainfall totals which exceeded the climate norm. Gozo and the western half of Malta were the drier regions. Our weather station registered a poor total of 35.1 mm over the course of the month. Localities across northern and central Malta were luckier in terms of rainfall, with a few localities almost reaching the 100 mm mark. It is worth noting how on the days that Gozo and western Malta remained relatively dry, but localities elsewhere received abundant rainfall, the wind was blowing from a predominantly North Northwest direction. This creates a form of rain shadow whose impact is felt far more profoundly across these areas. A kind of rain shadow forms over the Maltese Islands when the wind across the central Mediterranean blows from a northerly direction. Cold northerly air moving towards the Maltese Islands encounters Sicily (including Mount Etna which stands at 3,326 meters above sea-level) on its way. The advancing air is forced to rise and condense, producing rain-bearing clouds over Sicily. Precipitation occurs and the moisture carried by the cold northerly air is lost. As the cold northerly air advances further south, the stretch of sea between Sicily and the Maltese Islands is not wide enough for the air to recharge with moisture. As a result, the air is too dry to form any rain-bearing clouds locally. As a result, very little rain occurs over the Maltese Islands. That is why a North wind rarely brings any rain to our shores. As explained earlier, the rain shadow effect produced when the wind blows from the North Northwest is felt more over Gozo and western Malta.

Rainfall Totals around the Maltese Islands in January 2022 (and since last September 1st):

Għarb: 35.1 mm (525.3 mm)

Marsalforn: 43.2 mm (589.1 mm)

Victoria: 45.3 mm (548.8 mm)

Xewkija: 41.4 (509.8 mm)

Nadur: 48.9 mm (581.3 mm)

Mellieħa: 36.1 mm (512.5 mm)

Buġibba: 73.3 mm (581.2 mm)

Naxxar: 98.3 mm (590.8 mm)

Dingli: 56.6 mm (450.5 mm)

Mġarr: 74.4 mm (552.6 mm)

Mosta: 99.6 mm (499.5 mm)

Msida: 78.8 mm (557.4 mm)

Sliema: 83.4 mm (547.8 mm)

Valletta: 35.6 mm (341.8 mm)

Imqabba: 82.9 mm (529.8 mm)

Żabbar: 46.0 mm (557.6 mm)

Birżebbuġa: 47.7 mm (403.8 mm)

NATIONAL MEAN: 60.4 mm (522.3 mm)