The Climate
Some like it hot (title of the ancient Marilyn Monroe movie). And they come to Malta. In 2007, International Living.com voted Malta the nation with the best climate in the world. There's no reason to reinvent the web page, so first I'm going to direct you to that site so you can see that I'm not making this up:
Article from International Living.com
Country Article / Postcards
Postcard
The Best Climate in the World
Date: 01/25/2007
Don't be embarrassed if you can't pinpoint Malta on a map. Though it has the best climate in the word, this little island nation is not on everyone's radar.
A quintet of sunny islands makes up the Republic of Malta, with its mild winters and hot summers. Malta, Gozo, and Comino are all inhabited--though with a mere handful of families, Comino only just qualifies. The remaining islands, Cominotto and Filfla, are for boat-trippers and seabirds.
Read more at: Article from International Living.com
Questions about the Maltese climate:
1. Does it ever snow in Malta?
Answer: No.
2. Is it humid in Malta?
Answer: Yes, it can get quite humid because Malta is an island. The humidity--and how hot it feels--is the worst in July and August.
3. Is the heat bearable?
Answer: Apparently yes. The Maltese have been bearing it for thousands of years. I have felt the heat and humidity in Boston. I don't think it feels worse in Malta. And if it does, it's better to feel hot and humid in the Mediterranean than in Kenmore Square.
4. How hot does it get?
Answer: It can get over 95 degrees F (35 degrees Celsius) in the summer months. The highest recorded temperature ever was in August, 1999, when the temperature shot up to 111 degrees F. in the shade at Luqa Airport in Malta. That's 44 degrees C. Whenever you hear that the temperature in Malta approaches 40 degrees C., you know it's going to be very, very, hot.
5. Do the Maltese complain about the heat?
Answer: Yes. A lot.
6. How much rain does Malta get?
Answer: A lot less than New England. The average rainfall in Malta is relatively low--about (600 mm) 24 inches. The dry season is long. Most of the rain falls from September to January. During this time--the autumn and the winter--there are a lot of thunderstorms which produce the rain.
7. How much sunshine does Malta get?
Answer: A lot more than New England. In midwinter, Malta get an average of five to six hours of sunshine. That's in the winter. And in the summer, Malta gets over 12 hours of sunshine a day. That's more than New England gets in a year. I'm not kidding. But the sun is very strong, very hot and you absolutely need sunscreen every single day ( and deodorant, too).
8. What's the winter like in Malta?
Answer: Glad you asked. Daytime winter temperatures almost never fall below 50 degrees F. (10 degrees C.) in the winter. That's right--almost never below 50 degrees F. New Englanders, need I say more? It does get windy, though. There can be strong gale winds for three days at a time, bringing extreme stormy weather. Sometimes there is flooding in some of the streets close to the sea. But, the sun still shines. Daytime temperatures are usually 59 degrees F. (15 degrees C.0 or above. Sometimes even 68 degrees F. (20 degrees C.)
So, what do you think? Could you take climate like this?
One Year Later
I’m writing this from England, the third day of January, 2010. I’m freezing. And I can’t wait to get back to Malta. It’s been the second warmest December on record in Malta.
I survived my first summer. It was extremely hot and humid. I had to bring a small fan to my EFL class every day to cool/dry off before the class would start. But the best part was the four months—from June to September—when it didn’t rain.
Check this site out for all the best information on Malta's climate: MaltaWeather.com.
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