If you thought last month felt especially hot and sweaty, you would be right. 

A hot and bright August kept sunbathers happy. Photo: Chris Sant FournierA hot and bright August kept sunbathers happy. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Temperatures last month were 1.2°C higher than average, data provided by Malta International Airport has shown, with the sea an average of 1.5°C warmer than usual.

But while August temperatures were higher than the norm, the hottest day of the month, which fell on Saturday, August 5 and saw the mercury reach 38.1°C, was almost 6°C lower than the highest August day on record, registered back in 1999. 

The figures emerge from data provided by Malta International Airport. 

There was a welcome mid-month respite from the heat when the temperature dipped to 21.1°C on August 15, and just over a week later, on August 23, the skies opened briefly to rain down 4mm of precipitation over the Maltese Islands. 

Sunseekers got their fair share of sunshine, with August days bathed in an average of 10.8 hours of daily sunshine. The month's brightest day fell on August 25, with 12.3 hours of sunshine, while the month's dullest day, August 12, saw the sun shine for 6.3 hours. That day also featured north-westerly gusts of up to 33 knots. 

That day also featured north-westerly gusts of up to 33 knots, although the month as a whole was less windy than usual. Wind speeds averaged 6 knots rather than the 6.5 knots usually registered. 

Mean cloud cover, at 0.8 oktas, was also lower than the monthly average of 1.2 oktas. 

The sea was warm throughout the month, with temperatures ranging between 26°C and 28.7°C, and a mean surface temperature standing at 27.3°C. 

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