Friday will be sunny and hot with temperatures reaching 44C inland, 36C along the coast and 34C in the highest mountains.

An orange warning is in place till 5pm. The fire hazard remains on red alert.

Winds will be a southeast to southwest gentle to moderate breeze of 3 to 4 Beaufort, over slight seas.

Friday night will be clear with fine mist and low clouds forming overnight, mainly to the south and east.

Winds will be a southwest to northwest gentle to moderate breeze of 3 to 4 Beaufort, over smooth to slight seas.

Temperatures will drop to 28C inland, 25C along the coast and 24C in the highest mountains.

The weekend will be sunny and particularly hot with temperatures remaining noticeably higher than the seasonal average.

Monday will be fine with a slight drop in temperatures, which however will remain above the average for the season.