July days were hotter than average, with slightly more sun and fewer clouds
MIA weather station provides overview of July weather
Two out of every three days in July were hotter than the norm, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 38°C on the last day of that month.
The average July temperature stood at 33°C, Malta International Airport’s weather station said, with 20 days that month clocking temperatures higher than the 31.6°C that is the historic average for July.
Sea temperatures were also higher than normal, averaging 27.1°C - 2.4°C higher than the norm.
The last days of July and first days of August were characterised by summer's second heatwave. A heatwave is defined as a period of at least three consecutive days in which the mean monthly maximum temperature is exceeded by at least 5°C.
July 18 was the month’s gustiest day, with northwesterly by westerly winds reaching a maximum of 37 knots and cooling temperatures down to a more moderate 28.2°C.
A week later, the month’s lowest temperature was recorded at 21.5°C during a weekend characterised by light to moderate northwesterly winds.
July days were brightened by 364.7 hours of sunshine, MIA said – slightly higher than the July average of 364.1 hours of sun. Cloud cover, at 0.5 oktas, was lower than the expected 0.9 oktas. July 3 was the sunniest day of the month, with 13 hours of sunshine.
Weather forecast
The weather will be hot and sunny this weekend, with temperatures expected to reach 34°C. That is lower than the scorching heat experienced at the start of the week, but still above the average for August.
The giant convective clouds commonly known as l-għerejjex ta’ Santa Marija will not be forming yet, though: the persistent dry airmass over the Mediterranean means conditions are not present for these Cumulus congestus clouds to form over the coming days.