With temperatures climbing above average, sometimes even hitting records, Malta’s 2019 summer was unusually warm, according to figures recently published by the Malta International Airport (MLA).
After June being the hottest since 1923, the summer season’s highest air temperature was measured at 39.6°C amid the heatwave hitting the island on 8-10 July. The monthly 325 hours of summer sunshine kept the Maltese islands’ temperature between 18.5°C and 39.6°C.
Mean sea temperatures also climbed higher than the climate norm for every summer month throughout the season, reaching a 27.3°C high in August. The brightest summer days with 13.2 hours of sunshine were 18 and 19 August.
The five thunderstorms within the first 11 days of August, however, hit the islands as a reminder: with the starting of September the summer season begins fading out.
Seeing 12.2 mm of rain, 10 September was both the wettest day of the month and of the season. Additionally, it was the season’s gloomiest day: the sun only appeared for 0.1 hours.
In total, 31.7 mm of precipitation were measured during the summer months.