A June heatwave is expected next week, with temperatures rising to 36°C the day after tomorrow but the heat stress index making it feel as hot at 38°C.
The mercury is set to start climbing today, according to the Malta Meteorological Office forecast, reaching 31°C to 33°C over the weekend.
On Monday and Tuesday, the temperature is expected to reach 36°C, which will feel as much as two degrees hotter.
A slight cool down is expected as the week progresses, with a predicted high of 35°C on Wednesday and Thursday, feeling like 37°C.
A heatwave is defined as a maximum temperature exceeding the climatic maximum temperature of the month by 5°C for three consecutive days or more.
A heatwave may be expected to affect the island from Monday to Wednesday, a spokesperson from the Met Office told Times of Malta.
The mean maximum temperature norm for June is 28.6°C.
The spokesperson added that, while experiencing a period of heat is not particularly out of the ordinary for this time of year, people should take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from the high UV levels, particularly between 11am and 3pm.
“The angle of the sun is very high during these hours, so the UV rays are intensified due to reflection,” she said.
“Furthermore, white surfaces can also reflect such rays, so one must be careful even when seeking shade under an umbrella on the beach as the sand can still reflect UV rays.”
According to the Met Office’s records, the highest the mercury has every climbed in June was 40.1°C in 1997.
In the past five years, similar heatwaves were experienced between June 28 and June 30 in 2017 and between June 8 and June 10 in 2019, with the temperature exceeding 33.8°C for 12 days in the past five years.
The mean maximum temperature for June over the last five years has hovered in the upper 20s and lower 30s.