Malta, Idaho climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Malta's normal year runs from 17°F December nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 9.6 inches of precipitation and 12 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.9°C, December lows of −9°C, July highs of 31°C, 244 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMalta
- Station IDUSC00105567
- Location42.31°N 113.37°W
- Elevation4,521 ft (1,378 m)
- Population178
On October 22, the normal high in Malta is 60°F and the normal low 29°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Malta.
- Jan 36° 17°
- Feb 42° 20°
- Mar 52° 24°
- Apr 58° 30°
- May 68° 37°
- Jun 78° 42°
- Jul 88° 48°
- Aug 87° 48°
- Sep 77° 40°
- Oct 63° 31°
- Nov 48° 23°
- Dec 36° 17°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Malta each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 17°F. The most precipitation falls in May (1.46 in), the least in February (0.41 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 17°F | 26.7°F | 0.70 | 4.2 | 7 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 42°F | 20°F | 30.9°F | 0.41 | 1.9 | 5 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 52°F | 24°F | 38.3°F | 0.75 | 1.2 | 5 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 30°F | 44.1°F | 1.01 | 1.2 | 7 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 37°F | 52.2°F | 1.46 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 5 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 78°F | 42°F | 60.2°F | 0.65 | 0.0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 88°F | 48°F | 68.0°F | 0.73 | 0.0 | 4 | 17 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 87°F | 48°F | 67.1°F | 0.92 | 0.0 | 4 | 15 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 77°F | 40°F | 58.2°F | 0.88 | 0.0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 63°F | 31°F | 46.8°F | 0.82 | 0.0 | 5 | <1 | 14 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 48°F | 23°F | 35.2°F | 0.58 | 0.3 | 5 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 36°F | 17°F | 26.5°F | 0.70 | 3.1 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 31°F | 46.2°F | 9.61 | 11.9 | 64 | 41 | 168 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −8°C | −2.9°C | 18 mm | 11 cm |
| February | 5°C | −6°C | −0.6°C | 10 mm | 5 cm |
| March | 11°C | −4°C | 3.5°C | 19 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 15°C | −1°C | 6.7°C | 26 mm | 3 cm |
| May | 20°C | 3°C | 11.2°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 26°C | 6°C | 15.7°C | 17 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 9°C | 20.0°C | 19 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 9°C | 19.5°C | 23 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 4°C | 14.6°C | 22 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 17°C | −1°C | 8.2°C | 21 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 9°C | −5°C | 1.8°C | 15 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 2°C | −9°C | −3.1°C | 18 mm | 8 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00105567; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Malta?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (4).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00105567.
When is the last frost in Malta?
In Malta, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after June 5 in half of years and after June 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 13 in half of years and before August 28 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- June 51 year in 10 after June 23; 9 in 10 after May 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 131 year in 10 before August 28; 9 in 10 before September 28
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 96 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 129 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 17 in half of springs and before September 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Malta in zone 6b in ZIP code 83311, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Idaho · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00105567; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Malta?
In a normal year in Malta, 41 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 168 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 64 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 41a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 168a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 19high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 64a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 5a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00105567.
How sunny is Malta?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Malta, 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (89%) and December the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 68% | 1.9 |
| February | 69% | 2.8 |
| March | 71% | 4.0 |
| April | 75% | 5.4 |
| May | 78% | 6.6 |
| June | 85% | 7.6 |
| July | 89% | 7.5 |
| August | 89% | 6.6 |
| September | 86% | 5.2 |
| October | 81% | 3.6 |
| November | 72% | 2.2 |
| December | 61% | 1.5 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Malta need?
A normal year in Malta brings 7,122 heating degree days, 33% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 280 cooling degree days, 69% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,873 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,187 | 0 |
| February | 955 | 0 |
| March | 828 | 0 |
| April | 628 | 0 |
| May | 400 | 2 |
| June | 172 | 26 |
| July | 36 | 129 |
| August | 42 | 105 |
| September | 221 | 18 |
| October | 566 | 0 |
| November | 893 | 0 |
| December | 1,195 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,122 | 280 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00105567. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Malta's climate compare?
Malta is warmer than 40 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Idaho, and wetter than 7. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.2°F is warmer than 24%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Malta is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Malta share this climate record?
Albion has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Albion, ID257 people · 13 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Malta's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Malta. This page uses Malta; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malta (4 mi ESE) USC00105563 | 3 mi E | 4,590 ft | 47.9°F | 18°F | 90°F | – | – | June 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Malta's climate
What is the coldest month in Malta?
December, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 17°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 48°F at night).
Does it snow in Malta?
Yes: 12 inches in a normal year, falling on 6 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (4.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Malta?
May, with 1.46 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.41 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Malta in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Malta in zone 6b in ZIP code 83311, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Malta?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after June 5; in one year in ten it comes after June 23. Waiting until June 23 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Idaho climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Burley, ID26 miles from this station, 49.0°F a year
- Minidoka, ID27 miles from this station, 48.6°F a year
- Oakley, ID27 miles from this station, 49.6°F a year
- Paul, ID29 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made