Rainfall on the Isle of Man was around half the long term average last month as July saw record sun and higher temperatures according to the Met Office.

There was only 31.8mm of rain throughout the month, which equalled to 53% of the average, with the wettest day at Ronaldsway taking place on the 30th and seeing 13mm.

The report also found that sunshine reached an above average 234.7 hours with July 10 equalling the sunniest July day on record, in 2011, thanks to 15.9 hours of sun.

Temperatures of up to 28.1°C at the Point of Ayre on the 19th gave the island its hottest day of summer so far with Ronaldsway recording a high of 26.9°C.

Overall, temperatures were above average, with a mean day maximum of 19.3°C and there was a very warm spell for a few days beginning on the 17th.

The Met Office’s report comes after the introduction of a hosepipe ban by Manx Utilities last week.

The authority had reported that water stocks had fallen to around 70% of capacity.

The particularly dry July also follows a January to June period that saw rainfall 28% below average.

The mean wind speed was a little above average, at 9.7 knots with the strongest winds recorded on the 25th thanks to gusts of 40 knots / 46mph at Ronaldsway.

There was fog observed at the airfield on 3 days, and thunder on the 19th at the airport.

This week will see some rain though more dry spells are forecast in the coming month.