June 2°C cooler than 2012

Those enjoying the relatively cooler temperatures will be sad to hear that the typical high temperatures of the Maltese summer are expected in the coming days.

In the first half of June, temperatures were generally below average. From mid-June onwards, the temperature started to get warmer until it soared to a maximum of slightly more than 35°C on 22 June. Nonetheless, in recent days cooler temperatures returned - abnormal, for Malta.

The Malta Airport MET office explained that winds were the main reason behind this. "We had the Northwest-West winds with a speed of 8.5 knots, slightly more than the norm. These Northwesterly winds were in the bracket of fresh to strong breeze. This accounts for the cooler temperatures in recent days," a MET office spokesperson said.

Despite the cooler temperatures, last month was still slightly warmer than the climate average norm for June. In fact, June 2013 registered a mere 0.4°C higher than the average.

When compared to June of last year, the past month was more than 2°C cooler. In fact, while June 2012 had 25.6°C as the mean temperature, last month the mean temperature was 23.4°C. According to the MET office, the warmest June was that of 2003, with a mean temperature of 26.1°C.

But is it only a matter of time before the usual high temperatures arrive? The Malta Airport MET office predicts that temperatures can be expected to return to the standard Maltese swelter as early as this week.

Over the past few days, cooler air was reaching the Central Mediterranean from the Atlantic due to a high-pressure system extending from the Azores to Libya.

"This high-pressure system has now moved eastwards and this cool airflow from the Atlantic has been cut off," the MET office confirmed.

For the rest of the week, the highest temperatures should vary between 30°C and 32°C, while the lowest are all expected to be 20°C or 21°C. "These recorded figures correspond to the average temperatures of the last 30 years. The current five-day forecast reflects this," the spokesperson said. In fact, the average maximum temperatures calculated over the 30 year mean is 31.3°C and the average minimum is 21.4°C.

As regards this July, the Met Office said that due to natural climate variability it cannot foresee the future.  "But considering the 30-year mean for July temperatures, we should have normal July summery weather," it concluded.