Gibraltar sees hottest July on record

Last month Gibraltar marked the hottest July since local records began in 1947, the Gibraltar Met Office has confirmed.

Provisional statistics from the Met Office weather station at the Airport showed the mean temperature for the month was 26.4C, 2C above the long term average.

The Met Office said July 2023 beat the previous record of 26.0C recorded in both July 1994 and July 2015.

“This has come as little surprise with heatwave conditions affecting much of southern Europe over the past month, with record breaking temperatures observed in many areas,” said Principal Met Officer Chris Burton.

“Sea surface temperatures around Gibraltar have also been well above average for much of the month, helping to keep temperatures high locally.”

Stephanie Ball, Chief Meteorologist of weather consultancy company MeteoGib, added the new record was perhaps not surprising given the warming climate.

“It is perhaps not surprising that July 2023 has set a new record, coming off the back of a very warm Spring and Summer so far with temperatures running well above the monthly average, while records continue to fall globally in this warming climate and the present El Nino,” she said.

“While there is some respite in the short-term for Gibraltar, as Levanter returns from Friday bringing temperatures close to what we’d expect in August, current forecasts for Iberia show that August overall could see another warmer than average month.”