July weather in Malta: hot afternoons, warm nights and a late-month peak

July’s summer background still allowed a dramatic afternoon

July does not need much help establishing its Maltese summer credentials. The more interesting question is how the warmth is distributed: whether it stays at a steady level, builds over several days or produces a short peak that everyone remembers afterwards. Our July 2025 Mosta archive contains a good example of that last distinction.

The full 31-day mean was 27.2°C, with an average daily high of 30.1°C and an average daily low of 24.4°C. Seventeen dates reached at least 30°C. Those figures describe a consistently warm month, while leaving room for a much hotter individual afternoon.

The 2024 archive begins during July. Its complete Mosta comparison covers July 13–31, rather than the full month. We show the day counts in the tables and keep that shorter window attached to its figures. The detailed July 2025 story can stand on its own without borrowing a missing first half from somewhere else.

36.2°C was a peak, not the everyday high

The highest hourly value at Mosta was 36.2°C on July 25. That sits more than six degrees above the average daily high of 30.1°C. It makes the date memorable, but it also shows why one hot afternoon should not become the description of all 31 days.

At the other end, the lowest hourly value was 23.0°C on the morning of July 12. Even the cool end of this particular series remained well above June’s opening low of 17.2°C. July’s warmth extended through the daily cycle, rather than appearing only in the afternoon maximum.

The difference between the mean and the peak is especially useful when comparing travel dates or looking back at a visit. A month with a lower overall mean can still contain the more intense single afternoon. The 2024 and 2025 windows offer exactly that sort of contrast: the warmer average and the highest hourly temperature do not have to belong to the same year.

The hotter peak did not turn every late-July day into a record

The first ten days of July 2025 averaged about 27.4°C at Mosta. The middle ten averaged 26.7°C and the final eleven about 27.5°C. The opening and closing groups were fairly close, with a lower level in the middle rather than a relentless month-long climb.

The July 25 peak sits within that final section, but the wider group mean remains far below the hottest hour. Other hours and neighbouring dates pull the average back towards the general summer background. That is what an average is supposed to do; the trick is to read it alongside the daily profile.

A useful July review therefore needs both scales. The monthly mean describes the background; the individual dates identify the hotter interruptions. The chart shows the daily means, while the date links let you inspect the hourly sequence around July 25. A 36-degree headline is eye-catching, but it cannot be allowed to fill every square on the calendar.

July 25 was hot; July 27 had another reason to stand out

Two days after the 36.2°C peak, July 27 supplied the highest hourly wind speed in the Mosta series, 13.0 m/s. That is Beaufort force 6. The late-month story therefore includes more than an isolated temperature number.

The two figures describe different dates and different parts of the forecast. They should not be combined into a made-up simultaneous event. What they do show is that nearby days could ask for different outdoor decisions: a hotter afternoon on one date and a stronger breeze on another.

July 12 is a useful third reference because its 23.0°C low helps put the overnight warmth into perspective. Open the relevant hour and then compare a daytime hour on the same date. An archive is most rewarding when you move between the detail and the wider pattern, rather than asking one extreme to explain the whole month.

No forecast rain at Mosta in the covered July series

The complete July 2025 hourly rain series at Mosta sums to 0.0 mm. The available July 13–31 window in 2024 also contains 0.0 mm at the same point. On this measure, rain was absent from both parts of the comparison.

The quiet rainfall bars are a useful contrast with the more varied temperature line. The main decisions suggested by this archive concern warmth, time of day, wind and exposure rather than arranging activities around rain episodes. That does not turn a local forecast series into a guarantee for every beach or every future July.

A zero in a complete series also differs from a blank caused by missing data. The full 2025 Mosta record has rain coverage for every date. The early part of July 2024 is simply unavailable and stays blank. That small visual distinction keeps the chart honest without making the reading complicated: zero is a result; a gap is a gap.

A summer month can still have force 6 spells

Average hourly wind speed at Mosta was 5.3 m/s in July 2025, compared with June’s 3.6 m/s. Five dates reached at least Beaufort force 6, and the largest hourly value was 13.0 m/s on July 27.

That is a busier wind profile than the quieter June series. It is an important addition to the summer temperature story, particularly for exposed walks and marine plans. A warm air temperature does not tell you which shore is sheltered or how a crossing will feel.

For a future outing, check both direction and the hourly changes. Read the marine forecast for sea conditions, including the return portion of a trip. If a sheltered spot feels calm, do not assume the open water shares the same shelter. July can deliver a warm afternoon and a more energetic breeze on the same holiday without seeing any contradiction at all.

The shorter 2024 window adds perspective

The 19 complete dates from July 13–31 in 2024 averaged 27.7°C at Mosta. Restricting July 2025 to those same calendar dates gives about 27.2°C. The 2024 window had twelve dates reaching 30°C, compared with eleven in the matching 2025 window.

Yet the highest hourly value was lower in the 2024 window: 33.5°C on July 17, compared with July 2025’s 36.2°C peak. This is a useful example of a warmer background coexisting with a lower individual extreme. Persistent warmth and a sharp hot interruption are related, but they are not interchangeable measures.

The comparison should remain attached to July 13–31. It does not establish a whole-month result for July 2024. It does, however, give us a fairer glimpse of the two summers than comparing one complete month with an unlabeled partial archive and hoping nobody notices the missing dates.

July and August did not simply get hotter in calendar order

The complete 2025 Mosta mean rose from 25.1°C in June to 27.2°C in July, then fell to 26.4°C in August. Average daily highs followed the same order: 28.5°C, 30.1°C and 29.2°C. In this year, later summer did not automatically mean a higher temperature level.

July also had nineteen nights when every sampled hour from midnight through 06:00 remained at or above 24°C. August had eighteen. The warm overnight background was similar on that simple measure, even though July had more days reaching 30°C and the much hotter single hourly peak.

For a day out, make the plan fit the range of hours you expect to use. Build a sensible balance of exposed activity, shaded stops and slower periods into the schedule. The archive gives you the seasonal context, while the current forecast supplies the actual dates. July’s most useful lesson is to keep the persistent warmth and the exceptional afternoon in view at the same time.

Around the islands