Maltese sea temperature rises by 0.2°C during August

The Maltese Islands enjoyed warmer sea temperatures and longer hours of bright sunshine this August. Days during this month were also less windy and humid than what is normally expected.

The average temperature stood at 27.2°C, hitting an average maximum temperature of 31.7°C and a minimum average of 22.6°C. These are normal temperatures for August.

The highest temperature peaked at 34.7°C and was recorded on August 14th. However, due to humidity levels of 60 per cent, the temperature felt like 41°C on both August 14th and 23rd. Meanwhile, the lowest temperature stood at 20.6°C and was recorded on both the 19th and 27th days of the month.

Malta saw a total of 350.6 hours of bright sunshine, which tallied to a total of 0.5 hours more than the August norm. The brightest day recorded was the 6th, enjoying a total of 12.7 hours of sunshine. Meanwhile, the dullest day was the 22nd, when the sun appeared for only 6.5 hours. On average, the islands were covered by 11.3 hours of sunshine a day.

The average sea temperature was 26.3°C, which is 0.2°C warmer than the norm for August. The relative humidity was 70 per cent, which is lower than the average of 71 per cent.

The visibility at the Malta International Airport dropped to 50 metres during a day of thick fog. Meanwhile, 0.2mm of dew was recorded, which is considerably less than the 5.6mm climate norm for rainfall during this month.

For the major part of August, the wind blew from a South East direction at an average speed of 6.0 knots. This was less than what is typically expected during this month. In fact, 91 per cent of the time, the wind blew in the light speed bracket of 1-10 knots. The maximum wind gust was recorded from the North West by North direction on August 17th, registering a speed of 19 knots.

Between the 12th and the 14th and on the 24th of August, the Malta Airport Met Office issued a total of two excessive heat warnings to Health Authorities, advising people to take necessary precaution when spending time outdoors.

The warmest August day recorded was measured on August 9th, 1999 when temperatures rose to a high 43.8°C.

For further information and up to date weather forecasts visit www.maltairport.com/weather