A cool but dry September

September was slightly colder than average but while the days were generally cooler the nights were 1.2°C warmer than the average for the past 83 years, the Met. Office said yesterday.

The highest temperature reached 27.4°C. This is 10 degrees lower than the highest temperature for September in 83 years, which was recorded in 1990.

Last Monday was the coolest night for September, with the temperature reaching its lowest at just over 18 degrees.

The Malta International Airport's Met. Office said the warmest night was recorded on September 7, when the temperature reached 24.5 degrees with a relative humidity of 92 per cent.

The coolest September night since 1922 was in 1969 with a chilly 13.2 degrees.

The recorded rainfall amounted to 38.6 millimetres, most of which fell during a couple of hours last Monday.

The Met. Office said rainfall last month was below expectations since the average is about 50 millimetres. The wettest September was that of 1997 when 266.9 millimetres of rain were measured.

On the other hand, only a few drops of rain were recorded in the Septembers of 1954 and 1990, making them the driest two Septembers in 83 years.

This September was also slightly less windy than normal. The Met. Office said the most frequent wind was the west northwest and the strongest gust reached 33 knots.

Last month's humidity was an average 72 per cent, making September four per cent drier than the average for the last 30 years.

The sun shone for an average eight hours a day. The sunniest day was September 3 with more than 11 hours of sunshine. However, there were only 36 minutes of bright sunlight on Thursday, making it the dullest day.

www.maltairport.com/weather