Italian authorities issued the highest-level heat warnings for nine cities on Friday as the country endured its fifth heat wave of the summer, with temperatures forecast to reach around 45C in parts of the south.
Red alerts were declared for Bari, Cagliari, Campobasso, Catania, Latina, Messina, Palermo, Reggio Calabria and Rome, according to public broadcaster Rai News.
The designation indicates that extreme temperatures could pose health risks to the general population, including healthy and active people, rather than only vulnerable groups such as older adults, children and those with chronic medical conditions.
The latest spell of extreme heat has been driven by a North African anticyclone, with forecasters expecting Friday to be the hottest day of Italy’s summer so far.
The most severe conditions were forecast for Sardinia and Sicily, where temperatures could reach around 45C. Some weather models indicated that isolated areas could climb as high as 48C.
Temperatures above 40C were also expected across parts of Calabria, Puglia and Campania, while the mercury in Rome was forecast to reach around 39C.
Another 11 cities — including Florence, Bologna, Naples and Perugia — were placed under orange alerts, one level below the maximum warning.
Nighttime temperatures have offered little respite, particularly across southern Italy and central coastal areas. Minimum temperatures remained above 25C in many locations and approached 30C in parts of the south.
Conditions were markedly different in northern Italy, where authorities were monitoring the threat of severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail across the Alps, Prealps and surrounding plains.
Temperatures are forecast to begin falling across central Italy on Saturday, but intense heat is expected to continue in southern regions, where some late-August temperature records could be challenged or broken.