Total rainfall last month reached 106.0 mm, which was 17.0 mm more than the January norm, the MIA Met Office said today. The highest daily amount of rainfall registered at Luqa Airport occurred on January 21^st with a total of 19.4 mm.

The average temperature last month was 12.9°C making it warmer than the January norm by half a degree. The warmest day was the 10^th when the highest temperature of 18.8°C. However this did not exceed the highest temperature ever recorded in January at Malta International Airport since 1947, which was 22.2°C in 1982.

January nights, with an average temperature of 9.7°C, were also warmer by 0.2°C than the climate norm. The coolest night last month was the 25^th when the thermometer reached a minimum at 6.7°C. The lowest temperature on record for January was that of the January 29, 1981 when the temperature was only 1.4 degrees above freezing.

Last month thunder was heard on four days - the 1^st, 12^th, 20^th and 21^st but no hail was recorded at Luqa airport. Fog was observed on the 29^th and 30^th of the month when the visibility was reduced to less than 1 kmThe mean sea temperature was 16.6 ^oC which is warmer than the January norm of 15.2 ^oC since 1977.

The monthly mean relative humidity reached 84%, which is 5 percent more than the climate norm.

The mean wind speed measured at the Malta International Airport was 5.3 Knots, and for 91% of the time it kept within the light speed bracket. The most frequent direction was from the West by North. The strongest gust was 30 knots from the Northwest by West on the 22^nd of the month. The strongest gust measured by the Meteorological Office in January was 61 knots recorded in 1951, 1978 and 1994.

Last January we had a mean of 6 hours and 6 minutes of bright sunshine a day or 60 minutes more sunshine for the average January. The brightest day was the 14^th with 9 hours and 36 minutes of sunshine, whilst the dullest was the 27^th with just 36 minutes of sunshine.