Last month was the sunniest January in Bahrain since sunshine records began in 1968.

There were 282.9 hours of sunshine, beating the old record of 278.2 hours recorded in January 2001, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The month was also hotter than normal and less windy than expected, according to the Transportation and Telecommunication Ministry Meteorological Directorate.

The average temperature was 18C, which was 1C above usual, and the highest temperature was 29.7C.

“January 2015 was warmer than normal with below average wind speed, relative humidities and rainfall,” said a weather report.

January 31 reached 29.7C and was the second hottest January day since 1946, behind January 23, 1953 when the temperature reached 31.7C.

Meanwhile, dusty weather continued yesterday and visibility dropped to only a few hundred metres in some parts of the country.

The Health Ministry issued a warning about dust and advised asthmatics to be extra cautious.

It also advised people to use face masks and block openings that let dust into homes with wet towels. - TradeArabia News Service