Warmer sea, more sunshine, and a high of 39.6°C in July

Temperatures soared in July as Malta experienced 12 hours of sunshine per day

A lack of cloud cover saw Malta bake under more sunshine during July
A lack of cloud cover saw Malta bake under more sunshine during July

There were 368.3 hours of bright sunshine in July, more than four hours above the norm, as Malta baked in the hot weather, figures out today show.

Coming on the back of a hot June, last month saw temperatures reach a maximum of 39.6°C and more than 13 hours of sunshine recorded on the month’s brightest day.

The Meteorological Office at Malta International Airport said the below average cloud cover resulted in above-average hours of sunshine throughout the month.

While the average stood at 11.9 hours of bright sunshine per day, on 4 July a total of 13.1 hours of sunshine were recorded.

The maximum temperature was registered at the height of a heatwave between the 8 and 10 of the month, when the mercury hit 39.6°C on 9 July.

The stifling heat eased on the 5 and 20 July when the temperatures dropped to a minimum of 21°C.

But the hot weather also contributed to a warmer sea. The sea surface temperature stood at 26.4°C, one degree warmer than the climate norm.

Despite the spike in temperatures, July was not as dry as expected, with 0.8mm of precipitation being recorded throughout the month by the Met Office.

July was also slightly windier than expected, exceeding the climate norm of 6.8 knots by 0.6 knots.