Italy Puts 25 of 27 Major Cities on Red Heat Alert as Temperatures Hit Mid-30s C
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 1
Italy Puts 25 of 27 Major Cities on Red Heat Alert as Temperatures Hit Mid-30s C
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 1
Summary
25 of Italy’s 27 major cities will be on the highest red heat alert by Monday, with Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples already under the warning.
Mid-30s C temperatures are being driven by a strengthening subtropical anticyclone from North Africa, and officials say the heat threatens healthy people as well as the elderly, children and those with chronic illnesses.
The health ministry urged residents to avoid direct sun between 11:00 and 18:00, stay indoors and drink plenty of fluids; only Reggio Calabria and Messina are expected to remain on amber alert.
Across southern Europe, the heat is compounding wildfire risks: 2,500 people were evacuated in France’s Var region after a blaze reignited, while Spain has already seen more than 200,000 hectares burn this year.
Copernicus says Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average, intensifying summer heatwaves, straining water supplies and worsening wildfires.