Malta’s climate fits on a single line: long dry summers, short mild winters, and rain concentrated in the cooler half of the year. Everything below comes from the Luqa weather station for 1991-2020, which is the standard thirty-year window, plus a satellite record of sea surface temperature for the same years. The averages describe what is typical, not what any given week will do, so use them to choose a month and then check the forecast before you go.
The year in numbers
The coolest daytime figure of the year is about 16 C, shared by January and February. February also has the lowest night-time average, about 9 C. From there the climb is steady: about 18 C in March, 20 C in April, 24 C in May and 29 C in June. July and August peak at about 32 C, with the warmest nights in August at about 23 C. September drops back to 29 C, October to 25 C, November to 21 C and December to 17 C.
Rain follows a different shape. July is the driest month and rounds to zero. August, May and June are close to dry, with 17 mm, 9 mm and 5 mm respectively. The wet half of the year starts in September at about 58 mm, then October (about 82 mm), November (about 88 mm) and December (about 97 mm, the highest), with January (about 80 mm) and February (about 76 mm) following. March, at about 43 mm, is the turning point back toward spring.
The sea runs late
Sea temperature is the figure that most surprises first-time planners. The sea is coolest in February and March, at about 15 C, and warmest in August, at about 27 C. That is a lag of about a month behind the air: the air is at its coolest in January and February and at its warmest in July and August, but the sea reaches its low point in February and March and its high point in August.
The practical effect is that spring has warm air and cold water, while autumn has the opposite. October’s sea, at about 24 C, is warmer than May’s, at about 19 C, even though October’s average high is only a degree or so higher than May’s. If the swim is the priority, autumn beats spring.
Seasons in short
Winter (December to February) is mild and wet, with highs of 16-17 C and the sea at 15-18 C. Good for sightseeing and walking, poor for beaches. See December, January and February.
Spring (March to May) brings the quickest change: rain falls from about 43 mm to 9 mm and highs climb from 18 C to 24 C. Hiking and cultural trips are at their best, and the sea warms slowly. See March, April and May.
Summer (June to August) is hot and dry, with a sea of 22-27 C. This is the beach and boat season, and the busiest. See June, July and August.
Autumn (September to November) keeps the warm sea but brings rain back. September is the benign month, October is the changeable one, and November is distinctly autumnal. See September, October and November.
Wind
No wind averages are given here, but wind shapes the islands’ weather and is worth understanding in plain terms. The majjistral, a north-westerly, is the wind most often behind rough water on the northern and western coasts and the cancelled boat trip. The grigal blows from the north-east and affects the other side. The xlokk, or sirocco, arrives from the south-east, bringing warm, humid, hazy air that can make a hot day oppressive. In practice: if a sea trip matters, check the forecast the day before and ask the operator which coast is sheltered.
When swimming works
For most people, comfortable swimming runs from about mid-June to October, when the sea sits between roughly 22 C and 27 C. May and November are borderline, at about 19 C and 21 C. From December to April the sea is between 15 C and 18 C, which is wetsuit territory. The sea in a shallow, sheltered bay will read warmer than the satellite average on a still summer afternoon, and an exposed rocky coast with a swell will feel colder.
What the averages leave out
The Luqa station sits near the airport in the south-east, not on the north or west coast, so a beach on the far side of the island can feel breezier or cooler than the station figure on the same day. Rain is a monthly mean over the years with enough reported days, and a rain day is any day with at least 1 mm. A mean is not a promise: individual years vary around it, and a wet December or a dry one can sit well away from the average. Treat each figure as the centre of a range. The sea figure comes from a satellite cell east of Malta, so a sheltered bay in summer can read warmer and an exposed one with a swell cooler.
Sunshine hours, humidity and wind speed are not part of this data and are not quoted on these pages. What can be said without numbers is that summers are bright and winters are changeable, and that a still, humid day feels hotter than the thermometer.
Matching the month to the trip
A beach holiday leans on July to September. Sightseeing is easiest in March to May and October to November. Diving is possible all year, with thicker suits in the cooler months. Families often prefer the shoulders of summer. For the reasoning by traveller type, with months and holidays, read the best time to visit Malta.
Holidays that shift the picture
Malta has a run of public holidays, including 10 February (St Paul’s Shipwreck), 19 and 31 March, Good Friday, 1 May, 7 and 29 June, 15 August, 8 and 21 September, and 8, 13 and 25 December. Dates for Good Friday change each year. Each month page notes the ones that fall within it, since shops, services and some sites alter their hours.
How to use the pages
Pick the month or two you are considering and open the matching page. Each one gives the numbers, an honest reading of how the month feels, what to pack and which places suit it. Compare two neighbouring months if you are flexible; the differences from one to the next are often larger than they look on a chart. Then check a live forecast a few days before departure, because an average cannot tell you whether next Tuesday will be wet.