2007: Weather in the Maltese Islands
by Mark Vella Gera, Malta Weather Services
Warm and dry winter
January 2007 was a warm month with the average mean of 14.5°C being 1.4°C higher than the average of 13.1°C. Although maximum temperatures during January were higher than average they did not break any record, as 1988, 1996, 1997and 2001 all had higher mean monthly maximum temperatures for January. The warmest day was Saturday the 20th, when the temperature reached a high of 19.9°C. The warmest January day ever recorded was the 28th in 1988 with 22.2°C.
However, minimum temperatures for January 2007 were the warmest ever since temperature records began at Balzan in 1987. The mean minimum temperature of 11.9°C was 1.8°C above average. The warmest night was the on the 23rd when the mercury reached its lowest at 16.1°C, a few minutes around dawn. The coolest nights were on the 1st and 7th of the month, when the thermometer reached a minimum at 9.2°C. The lowest temperature on record was that of the 7th January 2002 when the minimum temperature was only 3.9°C.
January 2007 was also the driest January since rainfall records began at Balzan in 1985. With only five rain days and a mere total of 8.9 mm, rainfall was in sharp contrast with last year’s when January then was the wettest ever recorded. The driest ever previous January was that 1987 with 24.6 mm. The average rainfall for January is 95.6mm. During January thunder was heard on one day, the 3 rd of the month, during a short lived hail shower.
With an average speed of 11 kilometres per hour the wind at Zebbug Malta Weather Station, and for 99 % of the time keeping within the light to moderate speed bracket. The most frequent wind direction was from the west. The strongest gust was 64.8km/h from a northwesterly direction on the 2nd of the month. Maximum gusts of 90.7km/h and 92.5km/h were also measured at Mellieha and Nadur respectively the following day.
February 2007 was another warm month with the average mean of 14.1°C being 1.1°C higher than the average of 13.0°C. Although this was a warm month no records were broken, as 1990, 1995, and 2002 all had higher mean monthly maximum temperatures for February. The warmest day was the 15th, when the temperature reached a high of 18.6°C. The warmest February day ever recorded was the 20th in 2004 with 23.4°C.
However, minimum temperatures for February 2007 were the warmest ever since temperature records began at Balzan in 1987. The mean minimum temperature of 11.6°C was 1.7°C above average. The warmest night was the on the 13th when the mercury reached its lowest at 15.2°C. The coolest night was on the 6th of the month, when the thermometer reached a minimum at 5.3°C and the Grass Minimum on this day reached -2.3°C, the coldest ever for any month since temperature records began at Balzan 1987! The lowest temperature on record was that of the 1st February 1999 when the minimum temperature was only 2.6°C.
February 2007 was also another dry month with just 6 rain days and a mere total of 15.2 mm The average rainfall for February is 62.0mm. During February thunder was heard on 3 days, together with a short-lived hail shower on the 27th.
The average wind speed at Zebbug Malta Weather Station was 16.1 kilometres per hour. The most frequent wind direction was from the WNW. The strongest gust was 75.8km/h from a WNW direction on the 13th of the month. Maximum gusts of 90.7km/h and 83.7km/h were also measured at Mellieha and Nadur on that day.
An average March
March 2007 was an average month with the average mean of 14.7°C being only 0.2°C higher than the average of 14.5°C. The warmest day was the 6th, when the temperature reached a high of 20.1°C. The warmest March day ever recorded was on the 25th March 2001 with a high of 33.5°C!
However, strangely enough, while the mean maximum of 17.2°C was 0.6°C below the average, the mean minimum temperature of 12.2°C was 0.9°C above average! This is a trend where we are seeing night time temperatures really warming up! The warmest night was the on the 4th when the mercury reached its lowest at 15.1°C. The coolest night was on the 28th of the month, when the thermometer reached a minimum at 9.2°C. The lowest temperature on record was that of the 9th March 1993 when the minimum temperature was only 4.8°C.
Unlike these past few months, March 2007 was much wetter than average, in fact, 218% wetter than average. The total rainfall for March 2007 was of 81.2mm, while the average is only of 37.2mm. During March thunder was heard on 6 days and hail on 2 days.
The average wind speed at Zebbug Malta Weather Station was 15 kilometres per hour. The most frequent wind direction was from the W. The strongest gust was 74.0km/h from a westerly direction on the 23rd of the month. A maximum gust of 96.2km/h was also measured at Mellieha on the 9th of the month during a thunderstorm.
One of the driest Aprils on record
Last month was one of the driest Aprils on record with only 9.3mm at Balzan. In fact, last month was 17.2mm below average, making it one of the driest Aprils since rainfall records begin in Balzan in 1985. The heaviest downpour - just 5.1mm - was measured on the 2nd of April. The wettest April since 1985 was in 1994 when 163.1mm of rain drenched the Maltese Islands.
With a mean temperature of 17.2°C, April was 0.6 of a degree warmer than the average since temperature records began in Balzan in 1987. April of 1988, 1998 and 2006, with a mean temperature of 17.5°C, were the warmest Aprils on record. The coolest was in 1997 with a mean of 14.7°C.
The warmest day last month were 23rd and 26th April, both with a high of 22.8°C. The warmest April day on record was on 30th April 1999 when the temperature climbed to 29.4°C.
The coolest it got last month was early before dawn on 1st April when the thermometer dipped to 10.1°C. The coolest April temperature was that on 2nd April 1997 when a chilly 6.5°C was registered.
With a mean wind speed of 13 kilometres per hour, April has not lived up to its reputation of being the windiest month of the year. In fact, for 90 per cent of the time the wind was in the light to moderate speed bracket.
The most frequent direction was east with the strongest gust at Zebbug reaching 62.9 km/h from the northeast on 20th April. Strongest gusts of around 70km/h were also registered at Msida and Nadur, while a gust of 90.7km/h was registered at Mellieha on 13th April from an east southeast direction.
Record-breaking June followed by average summer
June 2007 was a warm month but also the wettest June on record and also produced the warmest June day and night since temperature records began at Balzan in 1987.
Last month's mean temperature of 25.3°C was 0.8°C warmer than average. The warmest June was that of 2003 with a mean temperature of 26.5°C. On the other hand, the coolest June months experienced since 1987 was in 1992 with a mean of 22.8°C.
The average high last month was 29.3°C, which was more a bit warmer than it was last year. However, last year there were nine days in a row when the daily highest temperature rose above 35°C, the closest one could get to a "heat wave", while this year there were four such days, between 23rd and 26th June.
Monday, 25th June was the warmest at 40.1°C. This was the hottest June day ever. The previous hottest one was of 38.8°C on 13th June 1997.
This year's June nights, with an average temperature of 21.2°C, were warmer, by 0.9°C, than the norm. The warmest night was the 25th/26th when, at dawn, the mercury reached its lowest point at 28.6°C. That was also the warmest June night ever recorded.
The coolest night last month was that of the 3rd with a minimum temperature of 14.8°C. This equalled the coolest June temperature ever recorded. This was on 1st June 1990 when the minimum temperature had also gone down to 14.8°C.
This was the wettest June ever. There were two episodes of heavy rainfall - June 3 when between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., 11.4mm of rainfall were measured at Balzan and June 4 when 68.0mm were recorded. The rainfall on June 4 was localised. In Gozo precipitation on that day was of the order of a few drops, contrasting heavily with certain other localities in Malta. Thunder was heard on one day, 4th June.
Daytime temperatures in July reached a mean of 30.6°C, 0.9°C lower than the average at Balzan since 1987. The hottest day last month was on 24th July when the thermometer climbed to 37.4 °C. The night with the lowest temperature last month was that of 14th July when 19.8°C was registered around dawn.
August daytime temperatures, showed a mean of 31.4°C, 0.4°C lower than the monthly average since temperature records began at Balzan in 1987. The average maximum temperature measured last month was about 0.8°C above that reached in July this year. The hottest day last month was on the 23rd, when the thermometer reached 37.6°C.
The coolest night last month was that of the 13th when a value of 21.8°C was registered. It is interesting to note that the lowest night time August temperature ever recorded was that of 23rd August 1997, when a cool 18.0°C was registered.
Dry September
September was a rather dry month with approximately only half the average rainfall for September. A total of 36.2 mm of rain fell at Balzan, the average rainfall in September being 67.1 mm.
The wettest day was September 25 with 25.0 mm measured during a thunderstorm, although most places in Gozo had around double this! The wettest September on record was that of 2003 with 390.3 mm and the driest that of 1992, a completely dry month.
September days with an average temperature of 27.7°C were slightly cooler than average, by 0.8 degrees. The warmest day was 19th September when the temperature peaked at 32.3°C. The coolest was 25th September with a high of only 25.1°C. The hottest September day on record was that of 26th September 1990, when the mercury hit 39.2°C.
Cool and wet October
October 2007 was a cool and wet month with rainfall at Balzan being 41% above the average. In fact, 98.8mm of rain were measured in October compared to the average of 69.8mm.
The mean monthly temperature of 21.5°C was 0.5°C below the average one would expect for October. The warmest night last month was that of the 1st with the thermometer showing 22.6°C at its lowest point. The 22nd night of the month was the coolest, as the mercury crept down to 11.8°C.
The average 23.8°C daytime temperatures last month were cooler than those since 1987 by 1.6°C. The highest temperature for October was 27.8°C on the 5th and 6th of the month.
Cool but rather dry November
November 2007 was a cool but rather dry month with the rainfall at Balzan being 73% below average. In fact, 84.5mm of rain were measured in November compared to the average of 115.0mm.
The mean monthly temperature of 17.5°C was 0.5°C below the average one would expect for November. The warmest night last month was that of the 26th with the thermometer showing 19.7°C at its lowest point. The 20th night of the month was the coolest, as the mercury crept down to 8.9°C.
The average 19.9°C daytime temperatures last month were cooler than those since 1987 by 1.2°C. The highest temperature for November was 24.1°C on the 24th of the month.
For the latest forecasts, weather reports and archives see MaltaWeather.com
by Mark Vella Gera, Malta Weather Services
Warm and dry winter
January 2007 was a warm month with the average mean of 14.5°C being 1.4°C higher than the average of 13.1°C. Although maximum temperatures during January were higher than average they did not break any record, as 1988, 1996, 1997and 2001 all had higher mean monthly maximum temperatures for January. The warmest day was Saturday the 20th, when the temperature reached a high of 19.9°C. The warmest January day ever recorded was the 28th in 1988 with 22.2°C.
However, minimum temperatures for January 2007 were the warmest ever since temperature records began at Balzan in 1987. The mean minimum temperature of 11.9°C was 1.8°C above average. The warmest night was the on the 23rd when the mercury reached its lowest at 16.1°C, a few minutes around dawn. The coolest nights were on the 1st and 7th of the month, when the thermometer reached a minimum at 9.2°C. The lowest temperature on record was that of the 7th January 2002 when the minimum temperature was only 3.9°C.
January 2007 was also the driest January since rainfall records began at Balzan in 1985. With only five rain days and a mere total of 8.9 mm, rainfall was in sharp contrast with last year’s when January then was the wettest ever recorded. The driest ever previous January was that 1987 with 24.6 mm. The average rainfall for January is 95.6mm. During January thunder was heard on one day, the 3 rd of the month, during a short lived hail shower.
With an average speed of 11 kilometres per hour the wind at Zebbug Malta Weather Station, and for 99 % of the time keeping within the light to moderate speed bracket. The most frequent wind direction was from the west. The strongest gust was 64.8km/h from a northwesterly direction on the 2nd of the month. Maximum gusts of 90.7km/h and 92.5km/h were also measured at Mellieha and Nadur respectively the following day.
February 2007 was another warm month with the average mean of 14.1°C being 1.1°C higher than the average of 13.0°C. Although this was a warm month no records were broken, as 1990, 1995, and 2002 all had higher mean monthly maximum temperatures for February. The warmest day was the 15th, when the temperature reached a high of 18.6°C. The warmest February day ever recorded was the 20th in 2004 with 23.4°C.
However, minimum temperatures for February 2007 were the warmest ever since temperature records began at Balzan in 1987. The mean minimum temperature of 11.6°C was 1.7°C above average. The warmest night was the on the 13th when the mercury reached its lowest at 15.2°C. The coolest night was on the 6th of the month, when the thermometer reached a minimum at 5.3°C and the Grass Minimum on this day reached -2.3°C, the coldest ever for any month since temperature records began at Balzan 1987! The lowest temperature on record was that of the 1st February 1999 when the minimum temperature was only 2.6°C.
February 2007 was also another dry month with just 6 rain days and a mere total of 15.2 mm The average rainfall for February is 62.0mm. During February thunder was heard on 3 days, together with a short-lived hail shower on the 27th.
The average wind speed at Zebbug Malta Weather Station was 16.1 kilometres per hour. The most frequent wind direction was from the WNW. The strongest gust was 75.8km/h from a WNW direction on the 13th of the month. Maximum gusts of 90.7km/h and 83.7km/h were also measured at Mellieha and Nadur on that day.
An average March
March 2007 was an average month with the average mean of 14.7°C being only 0.2°C higher than the average of 14.5°C. The warmest day was the 6th, when the temperature reached a high of 20.1°C. The warmest March day ever recorded was on the 25th March 2001 with a high of 33.5°C!
However, strangely enough, while the mean maximum of 17.2°C was 0.6°C below the average, the mean minimum temperature of 12.2°C was 0.9°C above average! This is a trend where we are seeing night time temperatures really warming up! The warmest night was the on the 4th when the mercury reached its lowest at 15.1°C. The coolest night was on the 28th of the month, when the thermometer reached a minimum at 9.2°C. The lowest temperature on record was that of the 9th March 1993 when the minimum temperature was only 4.8°C.
Unlike these past few months, March 2007 was much wetter than average, in fact, 218% wetter than average. The total rainfall for March 2007 was of 81.2mm, while the average is only of 37.2mm. During March thunder was heard on 6 days and hail on 2 days.
The average wind speed at Zebbug Malta Weather Station was 15 kilometres per hour. The most frequent wind direction was from the W. The strongest gust was 74.0km/h from a westerly direction on the 23rd of the month. A maximum gust of 96.2km/h was also measured at Mellieha on the 9th of the month during a thunderstorm.
One of the driest Aprils on record
Last month was one of the driest Aprils on record with only 9.3mm at Balzan. In fact, last month was 17.2mm below average, making it one of the driest Aprils since rainfall records begin in Balzan in 1985. The heaviest downpour - just 5.1mm - was measured on the 2nd of April. The wettest April since 1985 was in 1994 when 163.1mm of rain drenched the Maltese Islands.
With a mean temperature of 17.2°C, April was 0.6 of a degree warmer than the average since temperature records began in Balzan in 1987. April of 1988, 1998 and 2006, with a mean temperature of 17.5°C, were the warmest Aprils on record. The coolest was in 1997 with a mean of 14.7°C.
The warmest day last month were 23rd and 26th April, both with a high of 22.8°C. The warmest April day on record was on 30th April 1999 when the temperature climbed to 29.4°C.
The coolest it got last month was early before dawn on 1st April when the thermometer dipped to 10.1°C. The coolest April temperature was that on 2nd April 1997 when a chilly 6.5°C was registered.
With a mean wind speed of 13 kilometres per hour, April has not lived up to its reputation of being the windiest month of the year. In fact, for 90 per cent of the time the wind was in the light to moderate speed bracket.
The most frequent direction was east with the strongest gust at Zebbug reaching 62.9 km/h from the northeast on 20th April. Strongest gusts of around 70km/h were also registered at Msida and Nadur, while a gust of 90.7km/h was registered at Mellieha on 13th April from an east southeast direction.
Record-breaking June followed by average summer
June 2007 was a warm month but also the wettest June on record and also produced the warmest June day and night since temperature records began at Balzan in 1987.
Last month's mean temperature of 25.3°C was 0.8°C warmer than average. The warmest June was that of 2003 with a mean temperature of 26.5°C. On the other hand, the coolest June months experienced since 1987 was in 1992 with a mean of 22.8°C.
The average high last month was 29.3°C, which was more a bit warmer than it was last year. However, last year there were nine days in a row when the daily highest temperature rose above 35°C, the closest one could get to a "heat wave", while this year there were four such days, between 23rd and 26th June.
Monday, 25th June was the warmest at 40.1°C. This was the hottest June day ever. The previous hottest one was of 38.8°C on 13th June 1997.
This year's June nights, with an average temperature of 21.2°C, were warmer, by 0.9°C, than the norm. The warmest night was the 25th/26th when, at dawn, the mercury reached its lowest point at 28.6°C. That was also the warmest June night ever recorded.
The coolest night last month was that of the 3rd with a minimum temperature of 14.8°C. This equalled the coolest June temperature ever recorded. This was on 1st June 1990 when the minimum temperature had also gone down to 14.8°C.
This was the wettest June ever. There were two episodes of heavy rainfall - June 3 when between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., 11.4mm of rainfall were measured at Balzan and June 4 when 68.0mm were recorded. The rainfall on June 4 was localised. In Gozo precipitation on that day was of the order of a few drops, contrasting heavily with certain other localities in Malta. Thunder was heard on one day, 4th June.
Daytime temperatures in July reached a mean of 30.6°C, 0.9°C lower than the average at Balzan since 1987. The hottest day last month was on 24th July when the thermometer climbed to 37.4 °C. The night with the lowest temperature last month was that of 14th July when 19.8°C was registered around dawn.
August daytime temperatures, showed a mean of 31.4°C, 0.4°C lower than the monthly average since temperature records began at Balzan in 1987. The average maximum temperature measured last month was about 0.8°C above that reached in July this year. The hottest day last month was on the 23rd, when the thermometer reached 37.6°C.
The coolest night last month was that of the 13th when a value of 21.8°C was registered. It is interesting to note that the lowest night time August temperature ever recorded was that of 23rd August 1997, when a cool 18.0°C was registered.
Dry September
September was a rather dry month with approximately only half the average rainfall for September. A total of 36.2 mm of rain fell at Balzan, the average rainfall in September being 67.1 mm.
The wettest day was September 25 with 25.0 mm measured during a thunderstorm, although most places in Gozo had around double this! The wettest September on record was that of 2003 with 390.3 mm and the driest that of 1992, a completely dry month.
September days with an average temperature of 27.7°C were slightly cooler than average, by 0.8 degrees. The warmest day was 19th September when the temperature peaked at 32.3°C. The coolest was 25th September with a high of only 25.1°C. The hottest September day on record was that of 26th September 1990, when the mercury hit 39.2°C.
Cool and wet October
October 2007 was a cool and wet month with rainfall at Balzan being 41% above the average. In fact, 98.8mm of rain were measured in October compared to the average of 69.8mm.
The mean monthly temperature of 21.5°C was 0.5°C below the average one would expect for October. The warmest night last month was that of the 1st with the thermometer showing 22.6°C at its lowest point. The 22nd night of the month was the coolest, as the mercury crept down to 11.8°C.
The average 23.8°C daytime temperatures last month were cooler than those since 1987 by 1.6°C. The highest temperature for October was 27.8°C on the 5th and 6th of the month.
Cool but rather dry November
November 2007 was a cool but rather dry month with the rainfall at Balzan being 73% below average. In fact, 84.5mm of rain were measured in November compared to the average of 115.0mm.
The mean monthly temperature of 17.5°C was 0.5°C below the average one would expect for November. The warmest night last month was that of the 26th with the thermometer showing 19.7°C at its lowest point. The 20th night of the month was the coolest, as the mercury crept down to 8.9°C.
The average 19.9°C daytime temperatures last month were cooler than those since 1987 by 1.2°C. The highest temperature for November was 24.1°C on the 24th of the month.
For the latest forecasts, weather reports and archives see MaltaWeather.com