Last month’s average temperature was 25.4° Celsius, a good one-and-half degrees lower than the average for the month, according to a report issued by the MIA Meteorological Office yesterday. It was the coolest August for 29 years.
The coolest August since the MIA’s meteorological office began keeping records in 1922 was that of 1954, with an average of 24.4° Celsius.
Last Tuesday the thermometer barely managed 23.4° Celsius at its highest point, making it the coolest August day since 21 August 1949, when the maximum temperature reached that day was just 22.8° Celsius, the Met. Office said.
The highest temperature last month was 35.8° Celsius, on 3 August. The hottest day on record was on 9 August 1999, when a scorching 43.8° Celsius was reached.
Overall, 20.8 millimetres of rain fell during the month, mainly during the last three days. This amount is four times the rain normally expected in August. The wettest August was in 1964, when a total rainfall of 155.5 millimetres was recorded. On one single day, the 25th of that month, 129.8 mm of rain drenched the islands.
Wind speeds were also above average, with a mean speed of 8.4 knots or 15 kilometres per hour. The most frequent direction was west-northwest, with the strongest gust reaching 38 knots on 3 August. This northwesterly flow brought drier air with it, as was to be expected. The average humidity level during the whole month was 69 per cent, which is three per cent higher than the average over the last 30 years.
On average Malta had 9.8 hours of sunshine a day, which is one hour less than the average, resulting in this August having a total of 31 hours of sunshine less than normal. The brightest day was on 6 August with 12 hours and 36 minutes of sunshine and the dullest was the 30th – which was overcast.
The main synoptic feature of August was the Azores Anticyclone, or area of high pressure, which extended into Portugal and Spain and southwestern France, branching towards the central Mediterra-nean. However, a series of depressions or low pressure systems formed over northern Italy for many days during the month and this combination gave rise to the frequent, rather strong, and annoying but cool northwesterly winds.
Weather information is constantly updated from seven automatic weather stations located around Malta and Gozo together with information from the airport weather station. A five-day brief wind and weather forecast, a detailed and constantly updated three-day forecast for mariners, the UV index, Doppler weather radar and satellite infra-red images are available on the Met. Office’s website: www.maltairport.com/weather