September this year was the third warmest since 1931 with an average air temperature just below 29°C (84°F).
According to the Portuguese weather service, September 6th was the hottest day of the year for mainland Portugal, with an average high of 38.6°C (101.5°F) and a day’s low of 19.8°C.
The Algarve may have been hot, but spare a thought for the residents of Lousã near Coimbra where the weather service’s measuring stations recorded 45°C (113°F) with Lisbon reaching an uncomfortable 41.4°C (106.5°F).
The Alentejo towns of Amareleja and Beja recorded 44.3°C with maximum temperature records being logged by 73% of the measuring stations..
The hit weather was mainly due to an anticyclone located in the region of the Açores, that "sometimes stretched to the Bay of Biscay."
The average amount of rainfalin September (24.3 mm) was lower than normal with forest fires in the Algarve able to spread rapidly due to tinder-dry conditions.
Farmers and gardeners now are crying out for rain which is predicted to arrive in the next couple of day from the west.
