Summer 2022: hottest, but not the sunniest

It was hotter than in the famous summer of 1976, but not as sunny.

From the beginning of June to the end of August, the official meteorological summer, the mean temperature was calculated at 18C, breaking the previous record of 17.8C from 2003, and a full 2C higher than the long-term average.

Recorded sunshine was also above average, with a total of 845.9 hours, but this fell short of the record of 979.9 hours reached in 1976.

Rain showers were few and far between, making it the driest since 1989, with just 61.1mm against the average of 147.6mm. In the rankings it is the sixth-driest summer ever recorded.

In August, the mean temperature was 19.3C, equalling the August record of 2003.

Rainfall was nearly three times less than average, and the sunshine total for the month was 262.3 hours, ahead of the long-term average of 226.8 hours.

Sea temperatures also hit a record high, rising to 18.4C on 11 August, 0.1C higher than the previous record achieved in September 2014. The record was also nearly two degrees warmer than the average for that time of year.

As a whole, September’s maximum daytime temperatures should remain above average in the low 20Cs, but the sunshine could be more elusive.

‘The weather is set to become more unsettled early this month,’ said senior met officer Adam Heaume.

‘It is difficult to be certain what the rest of September will bring, but current thoughts are for near average temperatures and precipitation.’

A southward shift of the jet stream ushers in a low pressure system this weekend which will linger and mean a combination of showers and longer spells of rain, but with some brighter spells between in the coming days.

The island’s tourism sector has said it has had a good summer, but has raised concerns about transport.

The president of the Economic Development Committee, Deputy Neil Inder, has said the visitor economy ‘has shaped up incredibly well’ in bouncing back from Covid.