Sliema in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Sliema sees average daytime highs around 15°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 176 mm of rain over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early December to 15°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Sliema's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sliema's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
15°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
14°C
Rainfall
176 mm
27 wet days
Avg wind
26 km/h
Travel score
5.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Sliema in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early December to 15°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Sliema reaches about 15°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.

10°13°15°18°20°DecJanFeb

Sliema weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 13°549.49.84.7
Feb14° / 13°50810.64.7
Mar15° / 14°325.411.75.4
Apr17° / 15°143.312.96.5
May19° / 18°61.413.98.0
Jun23° / 22°30.414.49.3
Jul26° / 24°00.114.29.5
Aug27° / 25°30.613.49.0
Sep25° / 24°33412.28.4
Oct23° / 21°526.511.17.7
Nov20° / 18°699.310.16.6
Dec17° / 15°729.89.65.6

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Sliema gets around 176 mm of rain over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 26 km/h across winter.

0102030DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.9 kWh/m².

012345DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Sliema

In seasonPeak

None of Sliema's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Sliema sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in April.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Sliema?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Sliema for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sliema in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Sliema sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 27 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Sliema in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 17°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in March near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 29 to Nov 25 — about 6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb15Cool
Mar15Cool
Apr16Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct24Refreshing
Nov21Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Sliema in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sliema peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Sliema in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Sliema is worst in March — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodMar 1615 µg/m³Jul 229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May12Good
Jun9Good
Jul9Good
Aug9Good
Sep9Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sliema?

Sliema sits at 35.9°N, 14.5°E, 40 m above sea level, in Malta. The nearest listed city is St. Julian's, 1.0 km away.

BirkirkaraQormiŻabbarMostaMarsaxlokkSan Pawl il-Baħar

Topography around Sliema

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sliema.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sliema has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 m.

The land around Sliema is covered by water (51%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, water (70%) within 16 km, and water (96%) within 80 km.

3 km
121 m
16 km
253 m
80 km
246 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: St. Julian's 1.0 km · Valletta 2.0 km · Birkirkara 4.0 km · Qormi 5.0 km · Żabbar 5.0 km · Mosta 7.0 km · Marsaxlokk 9.0 km · San Pawl il-Baħar 9.0 km

Malta travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 66% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$47,907
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.6
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic more than 90%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Sliema (35.9125°, 14.5017°, elevation 40 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.