August can see the first signs of autumnal change around the corner. Ask any local and they’ll say that the feast of Santa Marija on the 15th usually brings some cloud and even the odd rain shower. Folklore aside, here’s what to expect of Malta’s weather in August by our regular weatherman Tony Muscat who runs his own monitoring station, it-Temp, in Mellieha in Malta’s north.
August tends to be much like July, hot and dry. As we are now well past the longest day of the year, 21 June, the number of hours of sunshine a day is falling to 11 hours during this month. However, the tendency is for August to feel as hot, if not hotter than July. And what a July we had this year, with temperatures up to 38C during the middle of the month, but at least the humidity was generally lower than usual, making it a little more bearable.
Although the average day time temperature during August of 32C and the maximum of 36C is around the same as July, the minimum night time temperature of 24C is slightly higher. The sea temperature, at 26C, is about as high as it will get during the summer and humidity can be somewhat high too.
What also makes it feel hotter than July inside a typical Maltese home is the predominant building material of limestone. As this has now been baked hot in the sun during the past few months, it has a tendency to remain warm night and day.
If you intend to stay outside for any significant period of time, cover up or use appropriate sunscreen. The UV level will be in the high to very high region, even if there are some clouds in the sky.