What is the best time to visit an island in a state of constant summer? How is the general climate? How harsh can Malta’s weather get? These are all questions any holiday planner will be asking, especially if you’ve just stumbled on the existence of this tiny archipelago!
A General Overview
For the most part Malta’s weather is relatively predictable, and though it oscillates up and down every now and then, its climate is consistent—albeit with recent minor climate changes, that are also common everywhere else.
Typical of its Mediterranean brother and sister countries, the Malta weather usually consists of hot and dry summers with mild and wet winters. In wardrobe terms, this means that t-shirts are never stored-away. At the same time the humidity and winds of the island might be surprisingly cold in their peak season, the winter, so it is still important to keep your layers ready.
Summer on the other hand is full-on beach weather, which means shorts, skirts and swimming trunks all season long. You might still need that cardigan if you’re out at night, especially next to the sea, but that’s hardly an essential and you’ll hardly ever need to break out a single sweater.
Summer
Let’s start with the most popular season, Malta’s peak. To many people visiting the country, and to some extent even locals, Malta is synonymous with the summer. The country is incredibly alive during this time of the year and the one permanent resident seems to be the sun itself!
And when the temperatures get almost too crazy, theres only one thing to do all day. Swimming. Not much more to say about this here except for the fact that as great and beautiful as this might be, it is always wise to take care of one’s health, hydrate and watch out for the very high UV levels this time of year.
- Daylight Hours : 14
- Approximate Time of Sunrise : Around 05:30 – 06:30 (mostly based around the ‘mid-month’ of the season, but can vary from time to time)
- Average High Temperature : 32°C
- Average Low Temperature : 23°C
Autumn
Malta’s autumn is a peculiar one. The more time passes the more it seems to blend in between its predecessor and successor. The occasional gray weather starts making more of an appearance but on the whole it is still typically sunny and quite warm, with not so dissimilar humidity temperatures from summer.
Probably the most noticeable changes in weather are in the evening and at night, as the temperature gradually drops. This is typically when locals open the winter drawer for the first time in long-while.
- Daylight Hours : 11
- Approximate Time of Sunrise : 06:30 – 07:15 (mostly based around the ‘mid-month’ of the season, but can vary from time to time)
- Average High Temperature : 25°C
- Average Low Temperature : 20°C
Winter
If you’re from the northern hemisphere, and you just can’t deal with this season anymore, then this is the place for you. Maltese winters can be windy, and they can also be cold in their own way. In reality though, it is not insufferable, unmatched, soul-wrenching cold. It’s probably just what you’d imagine a winter to be on a sunny island in the middle of the Mediterranean.
The sun does take a few more hours of time-off when compared to the summer time, but really, it’s still there for almost half of the day’s hours.
This is the time to bring a jacket or two, and a few other cozy garments to help you withstand the Maltese winter.
- Daylight Hours : 10
- Approximate Time of Sunrise : 06:45 – 07:15 (mostly based around the ‘mid-month’ of the season, but can vary from time to time)
- Average High Temperature : 16°C
- Average Low Temperature : 9°C
Spring
Every season has something to offer so it is a tough competition between the four. But if we’re being honest, spring is probably it.
Spring has something incredibly magical to it. Human beings have always celebrated this month all throughout the world, in countless cultures.
You could consider it the best month to visit the island simply because you can quickly feel summer creeping in. And slowly, the colors of the island are back in their element. The sun is out, but it’s not burning, as with the chilly Mediterranean breeze; it’s shining but it’s not freezing.
As spring sets the stage for summer, it makes it the time of year when the swimming season unofficially opens. In fact many locals take their first swim in April or even March sometimes.
- Daylight Hours : 13
- Approximate Time of Sunrise : Around 5:45 to 6:15 (mostly based around the ‘mid-month’ of the season, but can vary from time to time)
- Average High Temperature : 20°C
- Average Low Temperature : 17°C
