A level three heat alert is expected for the Isle of Wight and the south of England from midday today (Tuesday).

The Met Office says there is a 90 per cent chance of its Heat-Health Alert criteria being met, until 6pm on Saturday.

Heatwave conditions are met and an alert is triggered when high temperatures are reached for one day and the following night.

It is linked to health warnings and sparks advice and support for vulnerable people.

Isle of Wight County Press: The area covered by the Met Office Heat-Health Alert, expected this lunchtime.The area covered by the Met Office Heat-Health Alert, expected this lunchtime.

Weather experts say: "High pressure dominating this week, with fine and dry conditions across most of the country, prolonged sunny spells and light to moderate breezes.

"Temperatures rising from warm or very warm to locally hot in most regions, with a focus of the warmest weather in central-southern England.

"Headline max temperatures reaching mid 30's by Friday. The biggest question mark is over the end of the hot spell, with recent models indicating thundery showers arriving from as early as Saturday 13th, but perhaps as late as Tuesday 16th."

A hosepipe ban is in place, for the Isle of Wight - the first here since 2012.

Since Friday, a breach of the rules has meant a £1,000 fine.

Isle of Wight County Press: Dry grass in an East Cowes park during the Isle of Wight's heatwave, this week.Dry grass in an East Cowes park during the Isle of Wight's heatwave, this week.

Meanwhile, Isle of Wight forecaster Jamie Russell has been shedding some light on what temperatures we might expect in the coming days.

According to the IW Met Service, we could hit between 27 and 29°C, which has led him to issue a level five heat alert.

From Friday, the national Met Office is warning the risk of the severity of any fire in the open will be "exceptionally severe".

The warning level is currently at Level 4 ("very high") but is expected to rise to Level 5, which could mean open access rights are suspended on some pieces of land.

It is not an assessment of the risk of wildfires actually starting, but how bad one would be if it did.