Maximum temperature is expected to reach 34°C on Saturday, as Malta braces itself for what looks like the first heatwave of the year.

It will, however, feel like 35°C, and the UV ray index will reach 11. A UV index reading of 11 or more translates into an extreme risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.

The Met Office said the heat is expected to continue at least until Tuesday.

A heatwave is defined as the daily maximum temperature exceeding the average maximum temperature of the month by 5°C or more for three or more consecutive days.

This is determined using data from the climatic norm of 1981 to 2010. The standard norm for June is 28.6°C. It is 31.6°C for July.

Last year, Malta experienced a hot spell over the last two weeks of June, becoming the longest June heatwave to hit the island in at least a decade. 

By the end of the month, the temperature reached a blistering 41.5°C - the highest June temperature on the Meteorological Office’s records, which date back to 1923 for the month. 

Over the past decade, the island had been hit by five heatwaves in June.

According to national data, Malta’s annual mean ambient temperature has risen by around 1.5 °C since 1952.

A study published by the National Statistics Office on Friday shows that Malta is getting warmer, drier and experiencing more extreme weather events. 

Malta’s nights are also getting hotter. Some 80 per cent of the warmest night-time temperatures since 1952 occurred during the last 20 years.