• Temperatures reached a maximum of 39.6°C
• Over 13 hours of sunshine recorded on the month’s brightest day
• Sea surface temperature stood at 26.4°C; one degree warmer than the climate norm

The record-breaking summer heat, which saw temperatures across the Maltese Islands reach 37.8°C in June, showed no signs of cooling off in July. In fact, the average temperatures recorded on 22 out of a total of 31 days last month exceeded the climate norm of 26.6°C.

The maximum temperature for July was registered at the height of a heatwave between the 8th and 10th of the month, when the mercury hit 39.6°C on July 9th. The 5th and the 20th of July, on the other hand, proved to be a breath of fresh air to the islands, when temperatures dropped to a minimum of 21°C. The mean sea temperature was also over one degree warmer than the climate norm, standing at 26.4°C.

As the mean total cloud cover for the month fell below average, standing at 0.8 oktas, a warmer-than-average July brought with it above-average hours of sunshine. 368.3 hours of bright sunshine were recorded throughout the month, surpassing the climate norm by 4.2 hours. While July registered a mean of 11.9 hours of sunshine daily, the brightest day was July 4th when a total of 13.1 hours of sunshine were recorded.

Despite the spike in temperatures, July was not as dry as expected, with 0.8mm of precipitation being recorded throughout the month by the Met Office. July was also slightly windier than expected, exceeding the climate norm of 6.8 knots by 0.6 knots.