• Last month’s hottest day saw temperatures hit 31.3°C
• 26.4mm of rain recorded
• Summer was slightly cooler and wetter than expected

What started off as a very bright month – with the first day of September enjoying 11.6 hours of sunshine – gradually became duller as the sun set on summer.

Last month’s air temperatures still exceeded the 31°C mark on the hottest day and registered a mean of 24.9°C; 0.2°C warmer than expected for this time of year. At 25.6°C, the mean sea surface temperature was also marginally higher than the climate norm, prolonging the swimming season.

These warm temperatures were accompanied by a total of 239.2 hours of sunshine. With a mere 0.6 hours of sunshine recorded, Monday 26^th was particularly gloomy, possibly on more levels than one, as the start of the academic year on the day officially marked the end of summer for many.

Usually remembered for its humidity and consequent suffocating weather, September was pleasantly less humid, registering a mean relative humidity of 73% rather than the usual 75%.

September’s generally good weather was punctuated by five instances of thunder and a number of wet days, which produced 26.4mm of precipitation – 12.0mm of this total were recorded on the 25^th September, making it the month’s wettest day. Currently, September 1997 holds this month’s precipitation record with a remarkable total of 266.9mm of rain.

Winds blew predominantly from the northwest direction, with a gust reaching a maximum speed of 36 knots on the 18^th September. It results that with a mean wind speed of 7.9 knots, the month was windier than past Septembers by 0.8 knots.

Meteorological data for summer 2016 indicates that, in general, the season was slightly cooler than usual by 0.8°C. Nevertheless, temperatures still soared to a maximum of 37.5°C on the first day in August and registered a mean of 25.6°C for the whole season. While July was summer’s sunniest month with a total of 364.1 hours of sunshine, June was the wettest with precipitation amounting to 32.8mm.