Portugal records hottest May since 1931

LISBON: Portugal recorded its hottest May since 1931, with severe drought now affecting the majority of the country, the national meteorological office said on Thursday.

"It was the hottest May in 92 years," the Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA) said in its latest monthly climate bulletin. The average top air temperature was 25.87 degrees Celsius (78.57 degrees Fahrenheit), "the highest since 1931", it said. Rainfall in May was "much lower than normal", amounting to just 13 percent of the average for May recorded between 1977 and 2000, the reference period.