Last month's average air temperature of 20.3°C exceeded the climate norm of 19.1°C by 1.2°C.

The highest temperature was registered on May 12 when it peaked to 30.1°C, which is 6.8°C more than the 30-year maximum climate norm.

This was followed by a drop in air temperature from the 15 to the 24 when the temperatures were below normal.

During the latter part of the month the temperatures peaked again to above normal. The highest temperature ever reached in May was 35.3°C on May 23, 2006.

The lowest temperature last month was 12.3°C on May 18. The coolest May night was May 4, 1970 with a low of 8°C.

May 2012 was also much drier than usual. There was just a trace of rainfall when the 30-year norm is 6.7mm. The last time a trace was measured in May at the Malta Airport MetOffice was in 1995.

The average sea surface temperature was 19.1°C. This is 1.6°C higher than the average value for May.

The mean relative humidity last month was 67% which is lower than the 30-year mean climate average of 74%.

Last month there was an average of 10 hours 54 minutes of sunshine a day, more than the May norm of 9 hours 42 minutes. The dullest day was the 20 with zero sunshine while the brightest were the 10, 11 and 13 with 12.9 hours.

The wind speed in May, averaging 8.3 knots was less than the expected wind of 9.1 knots of a typical May.

On May 16 a maximum wind gust of 34 knots was recorded from the northwest by west direction. The highest wind gust measured at MIA in May since 1947 was 53 knots, recorded on May 19, 1951 and on May 6, 1954.

The Malta Airport MetOffice is now publishing online a five-day forecast of heat stress indices, which evaluates the body stress caused by the combination of the forecast temperature and humidity.

www.maltairport.com/weather