Sunny Tuesday forecast after Latvia's fifth wettest July on record
Tuesday will bring mostly sunny weather across Latvia, while data show July was the fifth wettest month in the country's observation history.
Forecasters say Tuesday will be mostly sunny in Latvia. More clouds are expected in the northeast, but no precipitation is forecast. Afternoon temperatures will rise to +22..+27 degrees Celsius with light winds. In Riga, limited cloudiness is expected, with no rain and a light breeze; the temperature will reach +25 degrees. The weather will be influenced by a high-pressure area, with atmospheric pressure at sea level of 1019–1021 hectopascals.
According to data compiled by the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre, last month was the fifth wettest July since records began in 1924. The average precipitation nationwide was 123.2 millimetres, or 163% of the monthly norm. Western and central parts of the country received more rain than the east. Liepāja, Ventspils and Vičaki saw their wettest July on record; in Bauska it was the second wettest, and in Stende the third rainiest since 1945.
The largest amount of rain was recorded in Ventspils — 222.3 millimetres, or 350% of the norm — while Rēzekne had the least at 57.9 millimetres, or 87% of the long-term average. On average, there were 13 days with at least one millimetre of precipitation, and on 18 days at least one observation station reached the threshold for heavy rain, defined as ten millimetres.
The rainiest day was 20 July, when the national average reached 21.1 millimetres and every station recorded precipitation. The lowest amount that day was in Lielpeči at 2.6 millimetres, while Ventspils saw 78.3 millimetres; Stende received 73.9 millimetres, equal to 95% of the July norm. Heavy rain also fell on 8 July, with a national average of 19.9 millimetres, ranging from five millimetres in Dagda to 62.8 millimetres in Ventspils.
Moisture indicators were within the normal range at some stations, but in nearly all stations in Zemgale and Kurzeme conditions were classified as wet to extremely wet. Sunshine duration was below the 1991–2020 average, except in parts of the east where it was slightly above the norm.
The average air temperature in July was +17.4 degrees, or 0.4 degrees below the norm. The minimum temperature was +7.2 degrees on 23 July at Zosēni, while the maximum +32.6 degrees was recorded on 31 July at the Jelgava station — the only daily temperature record broken in the country last month. Average relative humidity was 81%, from 77% in Alūksne and Riga to 85% in Kolka and Pāvilosta. The strongest wind gust, 23.2 metres per second, was observed on 6 July in Liepāja.
