• Air temperature ranged between 13.3°C and 32.3°C
• May’s brightest days each clocked up 12.6 hours of sunshine
• 28 mm of precipitation measured; 97% of total collected on 27 May

May brought the meteorological spring to a close with warmer-than-average temperatures. During the month of May, the air temperature ranged between a minimum of 13.3°C recorded on the ninth day and a maximum of 32.3°C. The temperature peaked on the 16th of May as the Maltese islands experienced a warm spell that lingered on for four days.

Averaging at 21.2°C, the air temperature for May exceeded the climate norm by 1.4°C. The average sea temperature too was higher than the norm, surpassing the expected 18.0°C by 1.8°C.

A total of 286.4 hours of sunshine were recorded in May, with the brightest two days of the month – the 1st and 5th – each clocking up 12.6 hours of sunshine. On the other hand, the dullest day was the 18th of May, during which the sun made an appearance for a brief 0.8 hours.

Having produced a total of 28 mm of precipitation, May was both wetter than the climate norm (8.5 mm) and the second-wettest month of the year so far. 97% of this total were collected on the 27th of May. On the same day, the month’s only thunderstorm – in line with the number of thunderstorms expected at this time of year – was reported by the Meteorological Office.

May was a windswept month sustaining a mean wind speed of 10.2 knots, which is considerably higher than the 30-year climate mean of 8.6 knots. The maximum gust, blowing at 41 knots from a west by north-west direction, was recorded on the third day of the month.

Saharan dust suspended in the air was reported on the tenth and fifteenth days of the month.