Anyone familiar with September in the Maltese Islands knows the feeling: humid heat, heavy air and that relentless stickiness that lingers even when temperatures are no longer exceptionally high.

This year, however, the familiar September discomfort arrived much earlier, with humidity levels remaining unusually high throughout much of summer.

The combination of an exceptionally warm sea, prolonged periods of light winds and a lack of the usual northwesterly circulation helped keep the air near the surface loaded with moisture. With more moisture in the air, sweat evaporates less efficiently, making it harder for the body to lose heat and leaving temperatures feeling considerably higher than the thermometer suggests.

For many, this explained why summer days in 2026 often felt far more oppressive than the recorded temperature alone would indicate.

Normally, the infamous “September stickiness” becomes particularly noticeable towards the end of summer, after months of intense sunshine have warmed the Mediterranean. This year, however, it was almost as though September arrived in June.

Mean relative humidity during summer stood at 76.4%, compared with the climate norm of 71.4% - around five percentage points above normal and close to the levels typically associated with September.

And now that September has officially arrived, the sticky conditions may not disappear immediately. While air temperatures are expected to gradually ease, the sea takes considerably longer to cool after a hot summer.

As a result, humid and muggy conditions could linger, meaning Malta may have to wait a little longer before finally getting a break from the summer stickiness.

Did you feel sticky all summer?