Met Office warning over rising temperatures with June 1.6°C warmer than norm

The Meteorological Office has issued a yellow weather warning, advising the public of rising temperatures over the coming days.

The upcoming weekend will see the air temperature rise to 35°C, with the mercury expected to peak at 36°C between Monday and Tuesday. The UV index is expected to be 10, which indicates high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.

Despite the high temperatures for the coming days, stemming from a persistent anticyclone over the African continent, a heatwave is not currently forecast.

“For a period of hot days to be classified as a heatwave, the highest temperature must exceed the average maximum temperature of the month (31.7°C) by 5°C for three consecutive days,” the Met Office at Malta International Airport said.

June welcomed the summer season with warm and dry weather, but 3 June registered the wettest day of the month with most of the 3.8mm of rain measured throughout the month falling on this day.

As the sparce precipitation and heat conditions extended throughout the month, last month’s average temperature of 25.8°C exceeded the climatic norm by 1.6°C.

The highest temperature was recorded on the 21st of June, as the second heatwave of the year drove the mercury upwards to peak at 35.8°C.

However, the record for the highest temperature recorded in June remains that of June 2021, when temperatures soared to 41.5°C. The sea surface temperature also exceeded the climatic norm by 1.7°C, registering an average temperature of 23.7°C.

Despite being warmer, June 2024 was also duller than usual, as the Meteorological Office recorded 312.1 hours of sunshine, falling almost 22 hours short of the climatic norm.

The brightest day was the 8th of June when the sun shone for 13.5 hours, while the dullest day was the 12th of June, when less than 3 hours of sunshine were recorded.