HEATWAVE OF THE MILLENIUM STRIKES IN JUNE 2021
Without any doubts, last June’s most significant weather event was the prolonged and unusually intense heatwave that developed over the Central Mediterranean in the last 11 days of the month having an average temperature of 31.1°C and an average maximum of 37.4°C. This is comparable to some of the world’s hot continental deserts. Only June 2006 had a comparable heatwave duration of 11 days but with a lower average temperature of ...30.5°C. The most significant thing of all was that the hottest June temperature on record for the last hundred years was surpassed three times last month, on the 24th with a MAX of 40.2°C, the 25th with a MAX of 41.3°C and on the 30th with a MAX of 41.5°C. The previous hottest June day was the 13th of 1997 with a fleeting MAX of 40.1°C.
Furthermore, Malta had the hottest June night on record with the temperature of the very last night falling to only 29.1°C. The last time it happened was in June 2003 with a MIN temperature of 28.1°C. A detailed explanation of this heatwave could be found in this link https://www.facebook.com/maltaweathersite/videos/560661511976237 . However, mostly due to around average temperatures on the first 18 days of the month, June 2021 only made it to the third hottest June on record having a monthly average temperature of 26.0°C. For the records, the average maximum and minimum temperatures for last month were 31°C and 21°C respectively. Therefore, both Junes of 2019 and 2003 were slightly hotter than last June. Last month’s lowest temperature of 17.6°C was recorded on the early hours of the 6th. Malta was not the only place being hit by severe heatwave conditions. Places such as Canada also experienced severe heat with the temperature getting close to +50°C. This resulted in scores of people dying from the excess heat. Such heatwaves may be considered as typical within the next hundred years or so as the world continues to heat up.
Last June was also drier than average with the only precipitation amount of 0.9mm occurring on the morning of the 2nd. Last month started with some weak low pressure systems passing over the southern Mediterranean as they were guided by the Scandinavian high. Calm to light winds dominated last month with the average wind gust of 36kmh being below the average. The highest monthly wind gust of 54kmh occurred on the small hours of the 26th from a suspected dry microburst in which falling precipitation from altocumulus castellanus clouds evaporated well before reaching the ground hence generating hot, dry winds. It was also rather cloudy at times during the latter half of the month with plenty of fine desert dust being brought about from the Sahara Desert. The average monthly humidity of 62% was below the climatic normal.
