An orange weather warning has been issued for Thursday, the Met office said as it forecast temperatures were expected to reach 43C and above for the second day in a row.

“Today, Wednesday and tomorrow, Thursday, are the hottest days of this summer so far,” said met department officer Andreas Chrysanthou.

Temperatures are expected to range approximately five degrees above the average for the season, with a significant drop of four to five degrees expected over the weekend.

“So we will be relieved at least temporarily from this situation from Friday onwards,” Chrysanthou said, urging the public to take measures to protect themselves.

The orange weather warning is in place between midday and 5pm on Wednesday and Thursday, while temperatures are expected to peak around 2pm to 3pm.

Temperatures are expected to remain at weekend levels until Monday and are expected to rise again from next Tuesday onwards.