It’s hot and sticky, but not a heatwave

The Meteorological Office has said that the high temperatures being felt across the Maltese Islands cannot yet be considered a heatwave, despite the intense conditions brought on by a persistent high-pressure system dominating the Central Mediterranean.

"For a period of hot weather to be declared a heatwave, the highest temperature has to exceed the average maximum temperature of the month by at least 5°C for three consecutive days," a spokesperson for the Meteorological Office explained in replies to this newsroom.

The highest temperature recorded this week was 33.8°C on 24 June, with forecasts indicating temperatures will remain high in the coming days and possibly reach 34°C by the end of the week.

Since June's average maximum temperature is 28.8°C, temperatures would need to exceed 33.8°C for three consecutive days to meet the criteria. So far, this has not happened.

The spokesperson said the conditions are tied to a high-pressure system that has been sitting over the Central Mediterranean, continuing to bring stable, sunny weather and temperatures higher than normal for this time of year.

Compared with recent years, June 2026 is turning out hotter than 2023 and 2024, but still cooler than June 2022, which remains the hottest June in the Meteorological Office's records.

The data provided shows June's average maximum temperature stood at 31.0°C in 2021, 32.5°C in 2022, 28.5°C in 2023, 30.5°C in 2024 and 31.5°C in 2025.

While 2022 remains the hottest June on average, the absolute record for the highest temperature ever recorded during the month still belongs to June 2021, when the thermometer reached 41.5°C.

The Meteorological Office is expected to keep monitoring how temperatures develop in the coming days, as the mass of hot air is expected to keep influencing the weather over the Maltese Islands for the rest of the week.

Heatwave grips the rest of Europe

Elsewhere on the continent, the picture has been more severe. French authorities have imposed bans on public alcohol consumption and takeaway sales in Paris to ease pressure on the capital's hospitals, as the country's health alert level was raised to its highest setting.

France recorded its hottest day for the second day running this week, while a three-year-old child was found dead in a car in the Paris region, days after two young children died in similar circumstances in the southern town of Carpentras.

The heatwave that has left Spain, the UK and France sweltering is now set to shift eastwards. 

Temperatures in Germany could reach 40°C, with the country's weather service reporting widespread heat stress, while extreme weather warnings have been issued across much of the Czech Republic, where temperatures are expected to climb to 40°C over the weekend. 

Luxembourg recorded its highest-ever June temperature of 38.3°C, and weekend highs near 40°C are forecast for Vienna.

In Spain, temperatures peaked earlier in the week before a cooler Atlantic air mass moved in, with 45.1°C recorded in the southern town of Andújar on Monday. 

The country's monitoring system has counted 213 deaths that could be linked to the heat between Sunday and Wednesday. 

In Italy, the peak is expected on Monday with highs around 40°C in northern regions.

Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, which is driving more frequent heatwaves, greater pressure on water supplies and more intense wildfires