Sunshine in July is 62 hours below average

The sun has shone for 104.5 hours in the capital area so far in the month of July. It is 62 hours of sunshine below average, or a full week of sunshine below average. This is the seventh wettest month of July in the capital area since the beginning of measurements.

Meteorologist Trausti Jónsson explains this in an interview with mbl.is and adds that the hours of sunshine in the month of July have only been twenty times fewer in the last 115 years.

The fewest hours of sunshine were in the month of July in 1989 when they were only 56, or exactly half of the hours of sunshine that have been there so far in the current month of July. However, it should be noted that the last three days of the month have yet to be taken into account.

Nine sunless days

Although the hours of sunshine in July have only been reduced twenty times in the last 115 years, it is not so long since that happened last time. It was in July in 2021 when the hours of sunshine were only 96. There were also fewer hours of sunshine in July in 2018 and in 2014, according to Jónsson.

"This is not a record," he says about the small number of sun hours in the current month of July.

Jónsson adds that during the month there were several days where the sun shone quite a lot. For example, there was a lot of sunshine on the 6th and 7th of July, or more than 16 hours.

There were almost 10 hours of sunshine on July 20 and 11 on July 15.

"But then there have also been nine completely sunless days," he explains.

Only once it rained more in July this century

When asked, Jónsson says that this year it rained somewhat more in the month of July than in an average year.

"Not quite twice as much but it is the second largest rainy month in this century, and if we go further back in time, it has only rained seven times more since the beginning of measurements." Here, however, it should be noted again that the month of July is not over.

"It has rained 86 millimeters, which is about 41 more than usual. Almost twice as much and there are still a few days left in the month."