Warm December feeling ‘climate changey’? It’s the anticyclone

December was one of the driest and hottest December ever in Maltese history.

It’s the kind of weather that has everyone talking about whether this heat during Christmas is an effect of global warming – the word may be ‘climate changey’, something to describe the type of warm climes usually not associated with the memory of a cold December.

But independent weather forecasters FirstMalta say that the warm weather comes from an anticyclone which has been stagnant over the central Mediterranean for the last 9 weeks.

The temperatures although unusually high won’t break any records for December. On average there have been highs of 19 to 20 degrees Celsius, which were three degrees more than the average for this month. The highest maximum temperature ever to be recorded in Malta was 24.9°C registered during December 1987.

The lowest minimum temperature ever recorded on the island during this month was 3.8 degrees Celsius registered during December 1988, which is far lower from the lowest averages of 13 or 14 degrees recorded at night during this month.

So the New Year is set to continue where this year will have left off, warm and sunny. The Meteoreological Office at Malta International Airport has predicted a pleasant beginning to 2016, with light to moderate winds and mild temperatures expected. 

Overall conditions are not expected to be severe and should not cause any disturbance to New Year festivities.

Between 30 December and 1 January, daytime temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of 17°C to 18°C before dropping to a minimum of between 9°C and 10°C. 

The skies should be generally sunny to partly cloudy with little chance of rain, and humidity levels are predicted to be quite high at approximately 86%.

Independent weather forecast service FirstMalta said the weather will now start shifting a bit, and people should expect slightly colder weather than what the public was accustomed to during the last weeks. However for the next five days, they may not expect any drastic cold, although the wind is set to start increasing on Sunday and light drizzle is expected in the following days as well.

The detailed weather forecast for New Year’s Eve, 1st of January and the weekend is as follows:

Thursday, New Year’s Eve Drizzle in the afternoon in some areas, with a high temperature of 17° around 3 PM, and a low of 13° around 3 AM.  Wind: 14 km/h (North East), Humidity: 73%.

Friday, 1st January 2016 Party cloudy in the morning, Light rain starting in the afternoon, continuing until evening, with a high temperature of 17° around 1 PM, and a low of 13° around 1 AM.  Wind: 20 km/h (West), Humidity: 72%

Saturday, 2nd January 2016 Partly cloudy starting in the evening, with a high temperature of 18° around 7 PM, and a low of 14° around 2 AM.  Wind: 7 km/h (South) Humidity: 73%

Sunday, 3rd January 2016 Mostly cloudy until afternoon and breezy starting in the evening, with a high temperature of 18° around 3 PM, and a low of 15° around 11 PM.  Wind will start increasing, reaching up to 31 km/h (West)

Monday, 4th January 2016 Breezy and partly cloudy in the morning, with a high temperature of 18° around 6 PM, and a low of 14° around 2 AM.  The wind will continue to increase, up to 35 km/h (West).