Warmest June ever recorded

It is little wonder that some people have been thinking it has been the height of summer - according to the Meteorological Office, last month was the warmest June since records started being kept 56 years ago.

With an average temperature of 26.1°C, June had the highest average temperature since 1947 when the Met. Office at Luqa began keeping climatological records. This figure is three degrees warmer than one would expect for this time of the year.

The first week of June, with a mean temperature of 23.2°C, was quite normal. However, there was a significant jump of four to five degrees from the second week onwards.

The highest temperature recorded was 38.6°C on the last day of June. June nights were also significantly warmer by about three degrees, with an average temperature of 21.5°C.

The main reason for these high temperatures was the settling in of an extension of an Azores anticyclone. This is an area of high atmospheric pressure which is a seasonal feature affecting the centre of the north Atlantic ocean.

Extensions into continental Europe and the Mediterranean are regular features of summer. However, up till now this was particularly persistent, with the drier than usual air contributing to the temperature rise.

On the afternoon of June 20, two separate storms produced a total rainfall of 16.2 mm at the official Malta International Airport rain gauge, making it the wettest June in 35 years - that is, since 1968 when a total of 28.2 mm of rain were measured.

The wind was remarkably sluggish this month with an average speed of 4.9 knots, which is about three knots less than what is expected in June.

The Heat Stress Index, the UV Index, as well as updated weather information and forecasts are accessible on the web.

http://www.maltairport.com/ weather