HEATWAVE: Italy issues alert for 14 cities on Thursday
Italy's health ministry issued extreme heat warnings for 14 cities on Thursday, with temperatures of up to 40C forecast in some parts of the country this week.
Temperatures are set to soar across the Italian peninsula in a heatwave coinciding with the June 21st summer solstice before peaking on Thursday, according to forecasts.
With temperatures expected to reach up to 40C on Thursday, the Italian health ministry published amber alerts for extreme heat covering 14 Italian cities and provinces.
The amber or level two warning level indicates weather conditions that may pose a health risk to the most vulnerable members of the population.
The affected areas included the major cities of Rome, Florence, and Bologna.
Heat warnings also covered Ancona, Brescia, Frosinone, Latina, Pescara, Rieti, Trieste and Verona, as well as Perugia, Bolzano, and Campobasso, which had already been designated level two risk zones on Wednesday.
On Friday, there were two amber alerts in place, for Bari and Palermo in the south.
The island of Sardinia is set to be hardest-hit, with mercury levels rising to between 38C and 40C on Thursday.
The southern regions of Puglia and Calabria can expect temperature highs of up to 38C, while parts of the Po Valley are forecast to reach 36C.
At night, however, temperatures will fall back into the 20s, thanks in large part to the evaporation of water from ground saturated by the heavy rain that has fallen over much of the country in recent weeks.
Government advice is to stay inside during the hottest hours of the day between 11am and 6pm, to use high-factor sunscreen, and to stay hydrated and moderate alcohol and caffeine intake.
READ ALSO: ‘Four to five light meals a day’: Italy’s official advice for surviving the heat
An anticyclone approaching from North Africa was the cause of the rising temperatures, according to meteorologist Carlo Migliore, editor of Italian weather news site 3bmeteo.
The anticyclone was expected to bring not just warmer weather but also particles of suspended desert sand, whose presence in the atmosphere will lend the sky a whiter-than-normal appearance during the day and result in reddish sunsets.
Sporadic thunderstorms were forecast in some Alpine areas on Wednesday, becoming more frequent on Thursday and into Friday, with the approach of a cold front from the north expected to bring the heatwave to an end.
Comments
See Also
Temperatures are set to soar across the Italian peninsula in a heatwave coinciding with the June 21st summer solstice before peaking on Thursday, according to forecasts.
With temperatures expected to reach up to 40C on Thursday, the Italian health ministry published amber alerts for extreme heat covering 14 Italian cities and provinces.
The amber or level two warning level indicates weather conditions that may pose a health risk to the most vulnerable members of the population.
The affected areas included the major cities of Rome, Florence, and Bologna.
Heat warnings also covered Ancona, Brescia, Frosinone, Latina, Pescara, Rieti, Trieste and Verona, as well as Perugia, Bolzano, and Campobasso, which had already been designated level two risk zones on Wednesday.
On Friday, there were two amber alerts in place, for Bari and Palermo in the south.
The island of Sardinia is set to be hardest-hit, with mercury levels rising to between 38C and 40C on Thursday.
The southern regions of Puglia and Calabria can expect temperature highs of up to 38C, while parts of the Po Valley are forecast to reach 36C.
At night, however, temperatures will fall back into the 20s, thanks in large part to the evaporation of water from ground saturated by the heavy rain that has fallen over much of the country in recent weeks.
Government advice is to stay inside during the hottest hours of the day between 11am and 6pm, to use high-factor sunscreen, and to stay hydrated and moderate alcohol and caffeine intake.
READ ALSO: ‘Four to five light meals a day’: Italy’s official advice for surviving the heat
An anticyclone approaching from North Africa was the cause of the rising temperatures, according to meteorologist Carlo Migliore, editor of Italian weather news site 3bmeteo.
The anticyclone was expected to bring not just warmer weather but also particles of suspended desert sand, whose presence in the atmosphere will lend the sky a whiter-than-normal appearance during the day and result in reddish sunsets.
Sporadic thunderstorms were forecast in some Alpine areas on Wednesday, becoming more frequent on Thursday and into Friday, with the approach of a cold front from the north expected to bring the heatwave to an end.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.