The morning lows will range from 15 to 20 degrees Celsius on Tuesday (23 degrees in the coastal Primorska region), while the highs will range between 31 and 37 degrees Celsius, according to the Environment Agency (ARSO).

Wednesday and Thursday will be mostly sunny and very hot. Isolated heat-of-the day thunderstorms are most likely on Wednesday evening near Slovenia’s border with Austria.

ARSO advises that people stay in the shade during the midday hours and in the afternoons throughout the heatwave. The agency cautions against outdoor physical exertion. People should eat light meals and drink plenty of fluids. “If possible, they should visit the woods, higher elevations, or bodies of water. Pets should also have enough water and shade,” the agency adds.

Living quarters should be aired out overnight and an effective circulation of air should be maintained. Vehicles parked in the sun should be aired out before being driven, says the agency.

According to ARSO’s temperature records, which were last updated a year ago, the all-time highest temperature was measured at the airport just outside of Cerklje ob Krki in August 2013. The mercury reached 40.8 degrees Celsius at the time. The temperature was measured at an automatic weather station. The manned weather station in the same town, about a kilometer away, officially recorded 40.6 degrees Celsius, measured with a maximum-minimum thermometer.

Translated by J. B.