Monday night was the warmest June night recorded in the last 30 years.

The lowest temperature registered by the Meteorological Office at Malta International Airport was 28.3°C – slightly more than a degree higher than the previous record of 27.2°C measured at dawn on 30 June 2003.

The very high temperatures that have been experienced during the past two or three days are due to a ridge of high pressure over the central Mediterranean, causing the air to descend from the higher levels of the atmosphere, compressing it and warming it in the process. This “pumping” of the atmosphere persisted during Monday night, giving us a very warm and dry night – the dryness of the atmosphere taking the edge off the heat.

The coolest June night ever recorded by the Meteorological Office, Malta’s National Meteorological Service, was the one of 7 June 1975, when at its lowest point – at dawn – the

thermometer registered 12.6°C.

More information is available on the Met Office webpage at www.maltairport.com/weather