The Truth About Winter in Malta

So you think you're moving to the Mediterranean for long, hot summers and short, mild winters? Think again. I've lived in Malta for 15 years now and I think it's time to tell the truth about winter in Malta. As a nation, we've been holding a deep, dark secret for many years, one that shocks and disturbs people when they survive their first winter here...Winters in Malta are f**king freezing.

Average Temperature of Winter in Malta

Ok, so in a lot of Europe the temperatures fall way below zero every winter and in Malta, it rarely drops below 10 degrees. We don't have frost, we don't have snow. But we also don't have central heating and we have allll the humidity (you'll get sick of that word after 6 months of living here) which really does turn 'mild' temperatures into 'freezing'. As a rule, anything below 15 degrees in Malta is pretty uncomfortable. If you're outside, in the sunshine, it'll be lovely. You'll be sitting in the sun, drinking tea or enjoying a day with the family and believing that even winter in Malta is nicer than summer in your home country. But wait until you’re just sitting at home with your little fingers and toes feeling like they might fall off!

Keeping warm during winter in Malta

Dress properly

Homes are generally built to lose heat, insulation is not something that Maltese developers believe in, despite the fact it'd make homes cooler in summer and warmer in winter. To survive a winter in Malta you will need to arrange some kind of home heating. My apartment is always very cold inside and keeping warm can be a real struggle. My advice is to dress properly first- make sure you have nice thick PJs and hoodies or dressing gowns, thick socks and slippers and a nice thick tog duvet for the bedroom. My duvet is 15 tog, which is probably a bit over the top even, but I don’t use any heating in my bedroom at night.

I love my heated blanket, I bought it from the UK to make sure it has the correct plug and it lives on my sofa, so whilst I’m chilling and keeping still it helps to keep me nice and toasty.

• warm indoor clothes

• slippers

• thick winter duvet

• heated blankets

Heaters in Malta

But if the warm clothing and heated blankets aren’t enough there are heating options on the island. Most AC units have a heat function and with it’s height and swing functions it’s probably going to heat up the largest space, but this will definitely be felt on your electric bill.

You can also find gas and electric heaters. I have a little Black and Decker portable heater that I use occasionally when I just simply can’t get warm. The downside of these heaters is that they only heat a small space around them and the heat tends to dissipate quickly once they’re off, but they can be handy under the desk when you’re working.

Get new windows

A third and quite extreme measure I went to, as soon as I bought my apartment, was to replace the windows. I did this mostly for sound proofing but it’s had the extra benefit of improving the insulation of the apartment as well. I personally used Adore More and went for triple glazed windows with extra sound proof technology. They cost an absolute fortune but they’re the best things I ever bought and I hope one day to afford to fill in the last few windows!

Can Malta weather be dangerous in winter

Absolutely. Every year we experience some flooding and sea related deaths on the island.

Luckily the flooding, whilst ridiculous and inconvenient is nothing like we see each year in other nearby countries- it’s not a surging flow and peoples lives aren’t generally at risk. But the streets do flood every time it rains and it makes it impossible to walk, drive or ride anywhere during this time. People have to abandon their cars, or many risk continuing to drive and end up flooding their engines.

Often foreigners will continue to swim all year round and it definitely is possible but people need to be smarter when the sea is rough. Every year we lose a number of swimmers due to getting into difficulties when the sea gets rough and some have even been swept away when just watching the crashing waves over the promenade on a windy day. So be careful and don’t go out when it’s storming.

Overall, winter in Malta is lovely… outside.

Most likely you’ve seen posts and articles about people sunbathing on the beach in winter in Malta and yes, being in the south of Europe, winters are warm. Average temperatures are relatively high and we get 300 days of summer so on those days when it’s 15 degrees and you’re sitting in the sun, it can feel like summer.

But 15 degrees in the shade or at night in Malta feels colder than 15 degrees in the UK for me for example. The humidity gets the chill to your bones easier and houses are much colder. Storms can be pretty scary and you should be very mindful of flooding and the sea during these storms, but once you get used to the cold apartments, winter in Malta can be enjoyable.