Malta looks set to have a scorching weekend, with the Mercury forecast to rise to 36 degrees celsius on Saturday and Sunday, according to the MIA Met Office.

It is 28 degrees today.

Bryan Micallef, a spokesman for the Met Office, said the mean temperature for this time of year is 32 degrees and the highest temperature on record was 42.6 degrees, recorded in 1998.

He said the high temperatures will be caused by warm air from the Sahara desert currently flowing over the Western Mediterranean. This is projected to move to the Central Mediterranean and the Balkans from Friday.

The heatwave is expected to extend to the first part of next week.

The heat stress is expected to reach 39 degrees, with the UV index level at 10.

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