Sliema is a city on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean island of Malta. The climate is Mediterranean: meaning hot, dry summers and mild winters. Malta experiences some of the highest annual average temperatures in Europe as well as enjoying the greatest amount of sunshine. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Summer
The hot, dry summer is extremely long, with high temperatures lasting from May to early October.
May sees average temperatures of 23°C, and temperatures regularly push past the mid-twenties and beyond. Plenty of sunshine can be expected, with an average of ten hours a day, and just 7mm of rain falls during May, so the weather is fantastic throughout the month.
The really hot weather arrives in June when average temperatures hit 27°C. This rises yet further to 30°C in both July and August. During these months temperatures regularly pass 30°C during the hottest part of the day, and can reach sweltering levels. The highest recorded temperature in Sliema during August is a whopping 43°C. Fortunately, thanks to Sliemaâs coastal location, an occasional cooling breeze from the Mediterranean can provide welcome relief from the heat.
September sees temperatures fall very slightly to an average of 28°C, but temperatures into the thirties remain commonplace.
Not surprisingly, Sliema is treated to almost constant sunshine during daytime, with an average eleven hours of sunshine in June and August, and twelve hours in July. Septemberâs average is nine hours per day.
There are no sandy beaches in Sliema, but there is plenty of access to the sea. Sea temperatures are pleasantly warm during summer, with an average sea temperature of 21°C in June, rising to a peak of 26°C in August.
Summers in Sliema are dry as well as hot, and there is next to no rainfall during the summer months. This leads to some water-supply problems for the island, but is great for tourists. The average rainfall in June is just 3mm, and the average for July is negligible. August is similarly dry, but levels rise somewhat in September when an average of 36mm falls.
Autumn
Autumn is brief, with warm weather but high rainfall. October is pretty wet, with 86mm of rain falling. This tends to fall in heavy bursts punctuating otherwise very sunny weather. It would be quite possible to completely miss all of this rain, and conditions can be very nice, with a monthly average temperature of 24°C and an average seven hours of sunshine per day.
November is similarly wet, but also slightly cooler. That is purely relative, however, as the average temperature is 20°C - comparable to late summer in London.
Winter
Winter is undeserving of the name, as average temperatures never fall below 15°C. January and February are the coolest months, both averaging 15°C. Rainfall is high, particularly so in December when 99mm falls. This eases off in January and February which see rainfall of 80mm and 55mm respectively.
Spring
Spring (March and April) is warm and sunny, with little rain. March temperatures average 17°C, and 19°C is the average in April. Temperatures in both months can easily reach the mid-twenties, and there is plenty of sunshine. Cooling breezes from the Mediterranean can, however, occasionally make the weather feel somewhat chilly.