The country will brace for more hot weather this weekend with the temperature expected to be around 43 degrees Celsius (109F) in what is shaping up to be the hottest June in decades.

Weather experts said this could be the warmest June in 90 years and that Greece was on track for its hottest summer in a quarter of a century.

Reports said the current spell of hot weather will not ease until at least the middle of next week.

Parts of Greece suffered blackouts yesterday.

Thessaloniki suffered power cuts for the third day running, while some Athens suburbs suffered outages on Thursday, as did several central provinces.

National power demand in Greece hit 9,649 MW on Thursday, short of the all-time record of 9,961 in August 2006.

Over a third was consumed in the broader Athens district.

Power officials have been boosting imports and drawing on hydroelectric reservoirs to avert bigger problems – and to avoid a repeat of the massive pre-Olympics blackout that hit Athens in July 2004.

Development Ministry general secretary Nikos Stephanou said “there is no reason to be concerned... we have prepared all winter to be ready for this.”

Ministers have also announced an energy saving plan for government facilities, including reduced lighting and higher air-conditioner settings. Hospitals remained on high alert.

Other parts of southeastern Europe, including Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are also roasting – just weeks after being hit by massive floods.

Not everyone, however, is feeling the heat. Retailers are reporting sharp growth in air-conditioner sales.

According to local press reports, air-conditioner sales have more than doubled in comparison with the same period last year.