The Maltese islands witnessed the hottest June this year since 1923, with no rain registered and highest temperatures reaching 37.8°C on 9 June, with 350 hours of sunshine, according to a press release the Malta International Airport (MLA) sent to Business Malta.
Furthermore, this June was one of the only four Junes in the past 70 years to not record any precipitation. The mean total cloud cover for the month also fell below average, standing at 1.5 oktas — a unit used in expressing the extent of cloud cover, equal to one-eighth of the sky.
As the sweltering heatwave passed, two warm spells heated up the islands with mean maximum temperatures 5°C higher than the climatic norm being recorded over two days.
In addition, the brightest day was recorded on June 3rd with 13.1 hours of sunshine, while the dullest day saw an equally enjoyable 7.4 hours of sunshine on June 15th, the press release sent to BM says.
Therefore, locals and tourists alike flocked to the beaches dotting the island to enjoy a refreshing dip in the sea, where the average surface temperature stood at 22.5 °C; one degree warmer than the climate norm of 21.5°C.
According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the average temperature recorded in June throughout Europe was 2°C above average, making last June the hottest on record for the entire European continent.