The short version
- Mosta’s January 2025 mean forecast temperature was 14.9°C, with an average daily high of 16.6°C.
- Rain appeared on eight days with at least 1 mm; one date supplied about a third of the month’s forecast total.
- Twelve dates reached Beaufort force 6 or above in the Mosta series. Wind deserves a place beside temperature in a January plan.
January does not do just one kind of winter
January in Malta can tempt you into a bright, sheltered lunch and then ask why you left your jacket indoors. The temperature is only the opening line of the story. Wind, rain and the timing of the colder hours decide how the day actually unfolds, particularly when you move between a narrow street and an exposed stretch of coast.
Our January 2025 Mosta archive covers all 31 days. Its mean temperature was 14.9°C, while the average daily high was 16.6°C and the average daily low 13.4°C. Those figures describe a winter month with relatively small daily ranges. They do not mean that every afternoon felt the same, or that the coolest hour politely waited until bedtime.
This is a 2025 review: the saved 2024 archive does not include January. Mosta is also the only land point available for this particular month. We therefore keep the numerical story rooted there, rather than awarding the entire archipelago an identical thermometer reading.
January at a glance
| At the same forecast point | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Complete days available | 31 / 31 |
| Mean temperature | 14.9°C |
| Average daily high | 16.6°C |
| Average daily low | 13.4°C |
| Average wind speed | 7.1 m/s |
| Rain on fully covered days | 45.3 mm |
| Days with complete rain coverage | 31 |
| Covered days with at least 1 mm | 8 |
Daily figures behind the charts
| Day | 2025 °C | 2025 mm |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | 14.3 | 0.5 |
| 2 January | 14.9 | 2.1 |
| 3 January | 14.8 | 0.3 |
| 4 January | 15.4 | 0.2 |
| 5 January | 14.8 | 0.0 |
| 6 January | 16.4 | 0.0 |
| 7 January | 16.9 | 0.0 |
| 8 January | 15.2 | 0.7 |
| 9 January | 15.5 | 0.0 |
| 10 January | 16.0 | 0.4 |
| 11 January | 16.2 | 0.0 |
| 12 January | 14.9 | 3.7 |
| 13 January | 12.5 | 2.0 |
| 14 January | 12.5 | 4.0 |
| 15 January | 12.5 | 2.2 |
| 16 January | 12.6 | 7.5 |
| 17 January | 14.7 | 15.6 |
| 18 January | 14.8 | 0.2 |
| 19 January | 15.3 | 0.0 |
| 20 January | 14.4 | 0.0 |
| 21 January | 14.6 | 0.5 |
| 22 January | 15.2 | 0.0 |
| 23 January | 16.5 | 0.0 |
| 24 January | 15.8 | 0.0 |
| 25 January | 14.9 | 0.0 |
| 26 January | 15.7 | 0.0 |
| 27 January | 15.6 | 0.0 |
| 28 January | 16.5 | 0.0 |
| 29 January | 13.9 | 5.4 |
| 30 January | 14.7 | 0.0 |
| 31 January | 15.3 | 0.0 |
A modest range, with a noticeable cold interruption
The highest hourly temperature in the January series was 18.5°C on January 7. The lowest was 9.9°C in the early hours of January 16. That span is enough to change the clothes you reach for, even though neither extreme tells you what the whole month was like.
The average daily high is a useful companion to the absolute maximum. At 16.6°C it sits almost two degrees below that warmest hourly value, which helps stop one pleasant afternoon becoming a promise about a four-week holiday. The same applies at the cool end: the average daily low of 13.4°C was well above the single 9.9°C reading.
For an afternoon walk, the daily shape matters as much as the monthly mean. A number sampled in the small hours should not be passed off as a lunchtime temperature. Equally, a mild midday peak says little about the hours spent waiting outside after dinner. January is quite capable of making both people in an argument about “how cold Malta gets” feel vindicated.
The middle of the month changed the mood
The first ten days averaged about 15.4°C at Mosta. The middle ten averaged 14.0°C, before the final eleven recovered to about 15.3°C. That sequence gives the month a dip in the middle rather than an uninterrupted slide into colder conditions.
The January 16 minimum belongs to that cooler middle period. A monthly average smooths the interruption into one neat figure, but someone visiting for the second week could have formed a different impression from someone arriving near the end. That difference is ordinary weather variability, not evidence that either visitor packed for the wrong country.
When using the daily chart, look for stretches of neighbouring dates moving together. A run of cooler means carries more information about the rhythm of a stay than an isolated maximum. The opening and closing ten-day means were almost identical, yet the route between them was not flat. January’s thermostat briefly took a detour.
January 7, 16 and 17: a compact winter story
January 7 gives the series its warmest hourly value, 18.5°C. January 16 supplies the 9.9°C low before dawn, and January 17 combines the largest daily rain amount with the strongest hourly wind speed. The three dates provide a useful route through the month’s different moods.
The contrast also helps explain why a recollection of a mild winter lunch can coexist with another visitor’s memory of a wet and breezy outing. They may be describing different dates, different hours or different levels of exposure. The daily chart and the selected-hour archive let you put those accounts back on their own calendars.
For a closer comparison, open the same hour on neighbouring dates after inspecting the standout event. That keeps an early-morning low from being compared casually with a lunchtime maximum. January’s variety becomes much clearer when the dates and hours stay attached to the numbers.
Eight wet days, with one doing a lot of the work
The complete Mosta rain series added up to 45.3 mm. Eight dates reached at least 1 mm. The biggest amount was 15.6 mm on January 17, accounting for roughly 34% of the full monthly total.
That distribution is more useful than simply calling January wet. Most dates did not meet that 1 mm threshold, while one fairly substantial episode contributed a large slice of the rain. A day below the threshold can still contain a light shower, so the count should not be read as a guarantee of eight rain days and twenty-three perfectly dry ones.
The rainfall bars show the timing, while the temperature line shows whether the same dates were cool or mild. Those are separate questions. Rain need not arrive on the coldest date, and a mild day can still be an inconvenient day for a long exposed walk. In a January itinerary, having a museum, café or shorter route available is a more useful response than writing off the month.
The breeze was not just a decorative extra
Average hourly wind speed at Mosta was 7.1 m/s. The strongest hourly value reached 16.1 m/s on January 17, equivalent to Beaufort force 7. Twelve dates reached at least force 6 somewhere in their hourly sequence.
The overlap on January 17 is notable: it was both the largest daily rain amount and the highest wind-speed date in this series. A headline temperature would have missed much of what made that day distinctive. These wind figures describe the forecast wind speed, not an archive of measured gusts.
A sheltered courtyard and a headland can give very different impressions of the same day. Use the wind direction alongside the speed when choosing which side of an outdoor route to explore. For a ferry or sea excursion, check the current marine forecast and the operator’s advice. A warm layer is useful; it does not negotiate with the sea on your behalf.
January and February: the next month was cooler in this archive
The available February 2025 days averaged 13.7°C at Mosta, compared with January’s 14.9°C. February’s average daily high was also lower, at 15.6°C against 16.6°C. So this particular year does not support the idea that conditions must begin warming as soon as January ends.
February has incomplete archive coverage, which is shown in the comparison table. The figures still provide a useful description of the available dates, but their difference should not be inflated into a long-term statement about which month is always colder. We have one saved January here, not a vote by every January Malta has experienced.
The practical point is simple: choose dates and plans using the actual forecast as departure approaches. The month name supplies context; it cannot supply the wind direction for your afternoon. If a winter trip has several days available, you can often move the most exposed outdoor activity to the more suitable part of the forecast.
| Month | Mean | Average daily high | Days covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.9°C | 16.6°C | 31 |
| February | 13.7°C | 15.6°C | 24 |
What this means for a January day out
For sightseeing, think in adjustable stages. A route with a sheltered stop gives you more options than a whole day committed to one exposed coastline. Keep a light rain layer accessible rather than buried beneath everything you optimistically packed for lunch. If the sky clears, enjoy the opening; check the later hours before extending the walk.
Evening plans deserve their own temperature check. The daily maximum is unlikely to be the number relevant to a late return, and wind can remain the dominant feature after the most pleasant part of the afternoon has passed. Comfortable walking shoes and a flexible route may do more for the day than an argument about whether 15°C counts as cold.
January 2025’s archive suggests a month best understood as a sequence of usable windows interrupted by changeable spells. The rain and wind figures give those interruptions shape. The brighter, milder hours remain part of the picture too. Malta’s winter did not require a heroic expedition wardrobe, but it did reward anyone who allowed their plans a little room to breathe.
Dates worth a closer look
A few useful answers
How warm was Malta in January 2025?
At Mosta, the saved hourly forecasts averaged 14.9°C. The average daily high was 16.6°C and the average daily low 13.4°C, across 31 complete days.
Was rain spread across the whole month?
Eight dates had at least 1 mm in the Mosta series. January 17 supplied 15.6 mm of the 45.3 mm total, so the rainfall was concentrated rather than evenly spread.
What should I check before a January coastal walk?
Check the hourly wind direction and speed, rain timing and the later return hours. A sheltered alternative is useful when the exposed part of the route looks less inviting.
Pick a day. Take a closer look.
There’s a forecast behind every figure.
Explore January 17, 2025 in the archive, or choose another date and compare the saved forecasts.
Explore the archiveAbout these figures
Analysis and writing by Weather.mt, based on available short-range forecasts saved for each date. Missing days stay missing; the figures describe the archive rather than long-term climate averages. Temperatures are in °C and wind in m/s.
Saved model forecasts, processed and analysed by Weather Malta. These are not weather-station observations or long-term climate normals.