With a mean temperature of 20.8°C, May was quite a warm month: 1.7°C warmer than the average.
However, 23 May, with the highest temperature reaching 35.3°C, established itself as the hottest May day since the Meteorological Office, now forming part of Malta International Airport, started keeping records in 1922. The warmest May since 1923 was that of 1945 with a mean temperature of 21.8 °C, while the coolest was that of 1991 with 17.1°C.
The coolest day last month was that of 5 May when the thermometer showed just 19.4°C at its highest point, while the coldest night was that of 8/9 May when just before sunrise the temperature reached its lowest point at 10.6°C. The chilliest May night on record was that of 3/4 May of 1970 with a low of 8.0°C.
With just 2.2mm, last month’s rainfall was slightly more than one-fifth of the average. The only significant amounts fell in a two-hour period during a thunderstorm early in the morning of 11 May. The wettest May ever, since record-keeping began by the Meteorological Office, was in 1976 with 49.1mm.
It was not a windy month, as for 99 per cent of the time the wind was in the “light to moderate” category. The southwest was the most frequent wind direction last month and the average wind speed, at Malta International Airport, was 6.7 knots (8 miles per hour or 12 kilometres per hour). The strongest gusts, recorded on 4 May and 12 May, reached 25 knots (29 miles per hour or 46 kilometres per hour) from the east southeast and the northeast by east.
Malta had an average of 10 hours and 36 minutes of sunshine a day, which means a total of almost 25 hours more sunshine than an average May. The brightest days were 16 May and 21 May with 13 hours and 6 minutes, while the dullest was 4 May with a total of just one hour of sunshine in an otherwise cloudy day.
The Meteorological Office urges the public to take heed of its UV index forecasts as these are reaching dangerous levels of 10 or more. This important resource helps people plan their outdoor activities in ways that prevent overexposure to the sun’s rays. The sun’s UV rays are the strongest between 11am and 3pm. To the extent possible, people should limit exposure to the sun during these hours.
More information is available on the webpage at www.maltairport.com/weather.