Air Temperature

Highest Maximum 18.9°C 1st
Lowest Maximum 13.8°C 6th and 7th
Highest Minimum 14.7°C 4th 
Lowest Minimum 8.1°C 7th

 

Mean Maximum 16.6°C
Mean Minimum 11.4°C
Mean 14.0°C

 

Relative Humidity

Highest Relative Humidity 100% Several days
Lowest Relative Humidity 40% 5th

 

Mean Relative Humidity 82.6%

 

Atmospheric Pressure

Highest Atmospheric Pressure 1034.7hPa 9th
Lowest Atmospheric Pressure 1009.0hPa 5th

 

Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1023.2hPa

 

Wind

Highest Gust 74.0km/h 5th

 

Mean Wind Speed 13.0km/h
Mean Gust Speed 37.2km/h
Mean Wind + Gust Speed 25.1km/h
Most Frequent Wind Direction Northwest

 

Precipitation

Total Rainfall During February 2020 0.5 mm
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 357.7 mm

 

Highest 24 Hour Total 0.5 mm 5th

 

Rain Days 1
Thunderstorm Days 0
Hail Days 1

 

Rainfall Events

05/02/2020 0.5 mm Light Rain/Hail

 

February 2020 Compared to the Climate Means 

  Climate Mean February 2020 Anomaly
Mean Maximum Temperature 15.5°C 16.6°C +1.1°C
Mean Minimum Temperature 9.6°C 11.4°C +1.8°C
Mean Temperature 12.6°C 14.0°C +1.4°C
Mean Relative Humidity 78% 82.6% +4.6%
Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1016.6hPa 1023.2hPa +6.6hPa
Mean Wind Speed 19.1 km/h 13.0km/h -6.1km/h
Most Frequent Wind Direction Northwest Northwest 0°
Total Rainfall 61.5 mm 0.5 mm -61.0 mm
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 473.0 mm 357.7 mm -115.3 mm
Total Rain Days 10 1 -9
Total Thunderstorm Days 3 0 -3
Total Hail Days 1 1 0

 

February 2020 was the Driest February on Record

With a mere 0.5 mm of rain – registered in a brief isolated light rain and/or hail shower on the 5th – February 2020 has become the driest on record. It broke the record set in 2016. According to climate data, February is normally one of the year’s wettest months. The amount of rain measured over the course of this year’s exceptionally dry February is more comparable to the values usually registered during the summer months. In fact, past data reveals that February 2020 was drier than July 2019.

With regards to air temperatures, the Maltese Islands experienced a very mild February. The mean maximum of 16.6°C was just over a degree above the average. The mean minimum of 11.4°C exceeded the norm by almost two degrees. The first ten days of the month registered all of February 2020’s extremes. With an 18.9°C high, the first day of the month was also the warmest. A few days later, on the 7th, our weather station measured February 2020’s lowest temperature of 8.1°C. From 10th February onward, under persistent anticyclonic conditions, the temperature stabilised.

February is typically the windiest month, locally. February 2020 was much calmer, with only one gale. The highest wind gust of 74.0 km/h, from the Northwest, was registered on the 5th. The wind did not exceed the 50.0 km/h mark for the rest of the month. Calm nights were a common occurrence.

Atmospheric pressure clocked in at an average 1023.2hPa, a full 6.6hPa greater than the norm for this time of year. The maximum atmospheric pressure reading of 1034.7hPa came very close to breaking the all time record for our weather station. A strong positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) prevailed throughout the month. A stronger than usual Azores High in combination with a deeper than normal Icelandic Low was reflected by data gathered at our weather station in Għarb. Anticyclones characterised our weather in February 2020. All low pressure systems, with the exception of one, originating over the Atlantic were forced northwards. This meteorological situation meant that the Maltese Islands experienced complete dryness and milder temperatures in February 2020.