Met Office: January welcomes 2025 with above-average temperatures, dry conditions

January welcomed the new year with above-average temperatures and drier-than-usual conditions.

The Met Office said the average temperature for the first month of the year stood at 14.5°C, which is 1.6°C higher than the climatic norm.

The month's highest temperature was recorded on 27 January, climbing to 19.4°C. However, despite being relatively warm, the record for the highest January temperature remains 25.8°C, measured in 2021.

On the other hand, the coldest night was registered on 16 January, when temperatures dipped to 7.2°C. Still, the coldest January temperature on record remains that of 1981, when the mercury plunged to 1.4°C.

The warm weather was accompanied by mostly stable conditions, bar mid-January, when a low-pressure system in the central Mediterranean brought strong winds and thunderstorms to the Maltese Islands.

Throughout the month, the Met Office measured 69.2mm of rainfall, 10.1mm less than the January norm, while two thunderstorms were recorded, two fewer than the monthly average.

The average wind speed aligned with the climatic norm (8.9 knots). The windiest day of the month was 17 January, when winds reached gale force. On that day, the strongest gust of the month was also recorded, blowing at 45 knots from a southeasterly direction.

That same day, along with 4 January, was also the darkest of the month, with less than an hour of sunshine recorded. Conversely, the brightest day was 27 January, with 8.9 hours of sunshine measured.