Skopje, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia sweltered in the hottest May heat on Wednesday, as forecasters predicted the temperature reaching up to 38 degrees Celsius.

    "It is unusual for the time of the year," a hotel owner in the capital city of Skopje told Xinhua. "The hot weather usually comes here after mid-June. But it is too early this year."

    People are wearing as little as they can to cool their bodies. Doctors advised people to reduce their unnecessary outside activities, stay inside and consume large quantities of water.

    Crises Management Center in Macedonia also cautioned people to take extra precautions while conducting activities in forests and not to use flammable materials that might cause blaze.

    Last year, Macedonia was hit by a severe July heat wave that caused forest fires and a state of emergency was declared to deal with the situation.

    However, forecasters in Macedonia said there will be a slight drop in temperatures from Thursday, with rain showers and thunders coming after noon.

    Similar heat wave has reportedly hit other Balkan countries. In Bulgaria, temperatures reached 35 degrees Celsius in the western part of the country, the highest in a century for the end of May. Belgrade of Serbia had 39 degrees, the highest May heat since 1887.