While mainland Europe battled December downpours and biting cold, Malta breezed through the month with little rain and plenty of sun.

According to the Meteorological Office, 45.8mm of rainfall was recorded at Malta International Airport throughout the month, a far cry from the climate norm of 112.2mm.

The heaviest rain was on December 4 when 24 mm fell per hour, while hail fell on December 9.

The average number of sunshine hours per day reached 6.2, which is an hour and 12 minutes above what is usual for December.

A total of 191 hours of sunshine were recorded throughout the month by the Met Office.

Last month also saw slightly warmer temperatures than usual. The average air temperature of 14.2°C exceeded the norm by 0.3°C. The mercury dipped to 6.4°C on December 13, but soared back up to 20°C two days later.

The highest recorded December temperature was on December 5, 1963, when it reached 24.3°C.

The coolest night was on December 22 in 1967, with a low of 3.6°C.