Air Temperature

Highest Maximum 22.6°C 15th
Lowest Maximum 17.2°C 31st
Highest Minimum 17.4°C 9th
Lowest Minimum 9.3°C 21st and 29th

 

Mean Maximum 19.2°C
Mean Minimum 13.2°C
Mean 16.5°C

 

Relative Humidity

Highest Relative Humidity 96% Numerous days
Lowest Relative Humidity 59% 5th

 

Mean Relative Humidity 85.4%

 

Wind

Highest Gust 45.1km/h 3rd

 

Mean Wind Speed 8.9km/h
Most Frequent Wind Direction South

 

 

Atmospheric Pressure

Highest Atmospheric Pressure 1031.8hPa 31st
Lowest Atmospheric Pressure 1004.8hPa 10th

 

Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1019.2hPa

 

Precipitation

Total Rainfall During December 2022 7.0 mm
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 298.7 mm

 

Highest 24 Hour Total 2.5 mm 10th

 

Rain Days 4 days
Thunderstorm Days 1 days
Hail Days 0 days

 

Rainfall Events

02/12/2022 1.3 mm Light Showers
06/12/2022 0.2 mm Mist/Fog and Dew
07/12/2022 0.3 mm Light Showers
10/12/2022 2.5 mm Showers; Distant Thunder
11/12/2022 0.2 mm Light Showers
20/12/2022 0.5 mm Mist/Fog and Dew
26/12/2022 0.3 mm Mist/Fog and Dew
27/12/2022 0.5 mm Mist/Fog and Dew
28/12/2022 0.5 mm Mist/Fog and Dew
29/12/2022 0.2 mm Mist/Fog and Dew
30/12/2022 0.3 mm Mist/Fog and Dew
31/12/2022 0.2 mm Mist/Fog and Dew

 

December 2022 Compared to the Climate Means

  Climate Mean December 2022 Anomaly
Mean Maximum Temperature 17.1°C 19.2°C  +2.1°C
Mean Minimum Temperature 11.8°C 13.2°C +1.4°C
Mean Temperature 14.5°C 16.2°C +1.7°C
Mean Relative Humidity 79% 85.4% +6.4%
Mean Atmospheric Pressure 1017.3hPa 1019.2hPa +1.9hPa
Total Rainfall 109.7 mm 7.0 mm -102.7 mm
Total Rainfall Since Last 01/09 342.3 mm 291.7 mm +59.1 mm
Total Rain Days 14 days 4 days -10 days
Total Thunderstorm Days 4 days 1 day -3 days
Total Hail Days 1 day 0 days -1 day

 

Record-Breaking DECEMBER 2022

December 2022, the first month of meterological winter and the last month of 2022 shattered long-standing meteorological records.

With a mean temperature of 16.2°C, December 2022 will go down in the record books as the warmest on record. It broke a decades-old record set in the 1960s by a fraction of a degree. Not a single day last month registered maximum temperatures at or below the climate norm of 17.1°C. With a maximum temperature of 22.6°C, the 15th was the warmest day last month. The ‘coolest’ was the 31st with a mild 17.2°C daytime high. Nights were significantly warmer than average too. The mean minimum temperature of 13.2°C exceeded the norm for the time of year by 1.4°C. The minimum temperature dipped to below 10°C on just five nights. Winter is yet to make its prescence felt.

More records were broken where precipitation is concerned. The paltry 7.0 mm measured by our weather station were just a tiny fraction of the 109.7 mm one would normally expect in December. December is statistically the wettest month of the year locally, but in 2022, even August would turn out to have produced more precipitation. December 2022 broke an almost century-old record set in the 1920s to become the driest December yet. If matters were not dire enough, 2.7 mm of this months total came in the form of mist or fog patches and heavy dewfall. Dewfall was heavy enough to measure on a staggering eight days.

The atmosphere above the central Mediterranean and surrounding regions was very stable. This was due to an extensive anticyclone that became stagnant. As one would expect under these conditions, the mean wind speed last month was much lighter than normal. December is renowned for its northwesterly gales. The highest wind speed in December 2022 clocked in at 45.1 km/h, or a mere strong breeze on the Beaufort Scale. The wind blew predominantly from the southerly quadrant.

Another phenomenon worth mentioning from the final month of 2022 was its incredibly high levels of humidity. The mean humidity last month was a damp 85.4%. Levels of humdity failed to drop below the 80% mark on almost half of all days last month.

 

 

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

Għarb: 7.0 mm (298.7 mm)

Victoria: 8.7 mm (258.5 mm)

Xewkija: 4.2 mm (270.8 mm)

Nadur: 7.4 mm (247.0 mm)

Marsalforn: 2.3 mm (275.9 mm)

Mellieħa: 10.6 mm (233.8 mm)

Buġibba: 7.5 mm (277.3 mm)

Mġarr: 4.9 mm (242.9 mm)

Naxxar: 8.6 mm (312.4 mm)

Mosta: 4.3 mm (306.0 mm)

Dingli: 4.9 mm (254.8 mm)

Msida: 4.3 mm (363.0 mm)

Valletta: 5.7 mm (268.2 mm)

Imqabba: 6.4 mm (290.0 mm)

Żabbar: 3.6 mm (287.8 mm)

Birżebbuġa: 9.7 mm (210.6 mm)

Sliema: 5.3 mm (358.5 mm)

NATIONAL MEAN: 6.2 mm (279.7 mm)