Normal temperatures in August – Warmest July on record, says Bureau of Meteorology
August is expected to see normal temperatures, Bureau of Meteorology reports in Agrometeorological Bulletin issued on Wednesday regarding the seasonal forecast for the current month, while regarding July, the Department notes that the recorded average maximum and minimum temperature was above the normal levels for the season at all the selected reference stations, with this July being the warmest July since climatological data is available on the island >.
Specifically, the August Bulletin states that the eighth month of the year is expected to have normal temperatures, with a similar situation appearing to prevail in Asia Minor, Greece and the Balkans, the expected temperatures will be above normal, while in the Near and Middle East the expected temperatures will be below normal.
It is added that in relation to the expected amount of rain it is expected that in the interior it will fluctuate at normal levels, in the north and west it will fluctuate at levels above normal for the season, while in the south and east it will fluctuate at levels below normal.
Regarding the preliminary meteorological data for July, from the initial data, as recorded by the Meteorological Department, it appears that the average maximum and minimum temperature recorded were above the normal levels for the season at all the selected reference stations, the statement continued. of the Department, adding that extreme maximum temperatures were recorded with positive deviations of more than 4°C from normal as in Achna and Poli Chrysochous, where the extreme maximum (40.1°C) and (40.3°C), respectively, was 6.9°C above normal for both areas, while at the mountain station at the Forestry College in Prodromos the extreme maximum temperature (34.2°C) was 6.3°C above normal.
Extremely high minimums were also recorded (beyond at least 4°C from normal for each station) such as in Achna and Athalassa, where the minimum (28.9°C) and (29.2°C) , respectively, were 7.1°C above normal for both stations.
It is added that during the month of July, EMMA warnings were issued for extremely high temperatures, both at the yellow danger level and at the orange danger level, for both maximum and minimum temperatures. In particular, a total of 16 warnings for extremely high temperatures were issued; 15 of which at the yellow risk level during the periods 7-8/7, 14/7, 17-19/7, 21-24/7 and 27-31/7, while 1 of them was at the orange risk level and was for 20/7.
It is also noted that after a first evaluation of the preliminary data, this year's July is the warmest since there are climatic data on the island and refer to the month of July, with the sole exception of the mountainous areas, with all reference stations of the Department of Meteorology on the coasts and in the interior to have been much warmer than their normal counterparts by 2.5 to 3.6 degrees C.
As pointed out, the parameter that has greatly contributed to this first is not the average daily maximum temperature, but the average daily minimum temperature, which means that July 2024 had too many warm nights.
According to the Department of Meteorology, at all the main reference stations, with the exception of the mountain station of Prodromos, the average daily minimum temperature was much higher than the corresponding normal for the month, with positive deviations of the order of 2.7 to 4, 2° C. The mountain station of Troodos, although it appears warmer than normal by 1° C, nevertheless it does not rank in the top three warmest Julys for this station for its period of operation but ranks as the 6th warmest July since records exist for the station in question.
Regarding the average daily maximum temperature, it is reported that only the station in Poli Chrysochous and the station at Larnaca Airport are ranked as the warmest for the month of July in their period of operation. As the 2nd warmest July in relation to the average daily maximum temperature, the station at Paphos airport is ranked, while the reference station in the interior of the island, the station in Athalassa, is ranked as the 3rd warmest July in the period of operation of the said station for the month of July. The mountain station in Prodromos, although it shows a positive deviation of the order of 2.2°C in terms of its average daily maximum temperature, nevertheless ranks 6th as the 6th warmest July for the month of July in its operating period.
Finally, it is noted that none of the island's main reference stations have recorded its extreme highest temperature this July, whether it concerns the maximum or the minimum temperature.
Regarding cumulative rain it appears, from preliminary data, July recorded 3.9mm of cumulative rainfall or 163% of the month's normal, which is said to demonstrate the uncertainty inherent in seasonal model forecasting, which should always be taken with caution .
During the periods 10-11, 15-17, 20 and 25 of the month of July, local rains and isolated storms were recorded. Hail fell on July 10, while EMMA Yellow Storm Warnings were issued on July 10-11, 15-16 and 25.
The average morning relative humidity ranged between 44- 71%, concludes the Department of Meteorology
