July was brighter than the norm, with 370.8 hours of sunshine, the Meteorological Office reported today.

The month started off with a combination of 0.4mm of rainfall and over 11 hours of sunshine measured on the first day.

Twenty-one days in July registered air temperatures that exceeded the climate norm of 31.6°C, with a peak of 34.6°C reached on the first weekend.

But the Met. Office said this came nowhere near breaking the highest temperature on record for July, which was experienced in 1988 when the mercury shot up to 42.7°C. 

The mean sea temperature was 0.2°C higher than expected for this time of the year. The sea was particularly warm on July 15, when the temperature spiked at 27.2°C.

But the warm seas could not be fully enjoyed as Force 8 (34 knots) gusts persisted throughout the weekend, at one point reaching a maximum speed of 39 knots.

In general, July was windier than usual, with the mean wind speed measuring 0.4 knots more than the climate norm of 6.8 knots. 

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