Temperatures forecast to feel as hot as 37°C as weather warning remains

Updated 3.30pm

High temperatures are set to continue until midweek and are forecast to feel as blisteringly hot as 37°C by Wednesday, according to the Met Office.

A yellow 'be aware' weather warning issued last Thursday continues until Wednesday as temperatures soar.

With highs of up to 34°C by the middle of the week, the temperature is set to feel as hot as 37°C by Wednesday, before dropping by around five degrees Celsius the following day, ushering in a cooler end to the week.

Light and gentle breezes are forecast for today and tomorrow, bringing little relief, with winds stepping up to as high as Force 5 by the middle of the week.

Sweltering conditions are set to continue through Wednesday, dropping down on Thursday. Screenshot: Met Office.

The UV index, which measures the intensity of the sun’s rays, will remain “very high”, rated 10, until Wednesday, before dropping down slightly to nine with cloudier conditions.

The forecast comes as Europe bakes in a record-breaking heatwave that has already claimed around 1,000 more lives than expected in France and sparked wildfires in the Balkans. Bosnia and Albania are predicting temperatures of up to 40° C.

The Met Office has meanwhile told Times of Malta that the maximum temperatures of up to 34°C over the next few days, "coupled with high humidity, makes the temperature feel higher than it actually is".

A spokesperson noted that July is set to see temperatures slightly below the average for that month, however, due to cool air moving over the central Mediterranean by "rather strong" Northwesterly winds. 

"These cooler temperatures originated from a cold front that passed over Western Europe during the weekend and brought to an end the heatwave over the UK and France", she said. 

She noted that a yellow heat warning was issued when temperatures reach 33°C.

"The warning will not be renewed as the temperatures will be lower than 33°".

Earlier this month, climate expert Stefano Moncada warned Malta should prepare for more extreme weather such as powerful storms and hotter heatwaves in the coming years due to climate change.

The Mediterranean is a “climate hotspot” set to see more intense and worsening conditions than other parts of the world, he said.

And the sweltering conditions are not just affecting the lives of human beings; leading marine biologist Alan Deidun recently warned that Malta’s bays were becoming “alien worlds” as marine heatwaves drive the spread of invasive species.

Underwater temperatures in parts of the Mediterranean were rising “beyond our wildest expectations”, he warned.