February defies reputation, marked one of the warmest on record

Despite its reputation for cold weather, February in Malta maintained relatively warm temperatures, contributing to one of the warmest meteorological winters on record.

With an average temperature of 14.8°C, this winter ties with that of 2007 as the warmest recorded.

According to the Meteorological Office, February saw temperatures averaging 1.7°C above the climatic norm of 12.6°C. On February 6th, temperatures soared to 20.5°C, nearly 8°C warmer than the average for the time of year. 

However, the record for the highest February temperature still belongs to February 1960, when temperatures reached 26.7°C. On the other end of the spectrum, the lowest temperature observed last month was 7.4°C on February 16th, far from the chilly 1.7°C recorded in February 1956.

In terms of precipitation, February fell short, with only 38.6 mm of rainfall, 30.3 mm below the norm. More than half of this rainfall occurred on a single day on February 24th. Additionally, the month experienced two lightning storms, one less than average.

February boasted sunnier-than-average days, with over 200.1 hours of sunshine recorded, surpassing the norm by 13.4 hours. The brightest day was February 18th, with 10.2 hours of sunshine. However, Carnival weekend saw no sunshine on February 10th, the month's gloomiest day, accompanied by heavy hail showers in several areas.

While the average wind speed remained consistent at 9.6 knots, slightly above the norm, the strongest gust of wind was recorded on February 25th, reaching 45 knots from a West by North direction.