Italy is enduring its fifth heatwave of the summer, which peaked on Friday and has split the country in two. In the central and southern regions, as well as on the islands, temperatures have climbed above 40°C—about ten degrees above the seasonal average—while the north has been battered by severe thunderstorms and hail.
The heat is made worse by high humidity, which pushes the perceived temperature at least five degrees higher than the actual reading. Nights offer little relief, with so-called "tropical" conditions keeping temperatures close to 30°C in many areas.
Although forecasters expect a slight easing over the weekend, they warn that temperatures will remain well above normal into September.
Red alerts and scorching peaks
Nine cities are on red alert for heat-related health risks, a level that poses significant danger even to people without pre-existing conditions. These are Bari, Cagliari, Campobasso, Catania, Latina, Messina, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, and Rome.
In these urban centres, thermometers have hovered between 39°C and 40°C, but the most extreme readings have come from Calabria. In Torano Scalo, near Cosenza, the mercury hit 44.6°C. Cosenza itself recorded 42.5°C, and San Cosmo Albanese reached 41.7°C. Other provinces in Calabria have also seen temperatures around 40°C or higher.
Sicily and Sardinia are also suffering, with peaks of 43°C and very high feels-like temperatures. Adding to the discomfort, dust from the Sahara Desert, carried by air currents from North Africa, is drifting over the centre-south and the islands.
According to the Health Ministry's heatwave bulletin, conditions should improve slightly over the weekend. On Saturday, six cities will remain on red alert (Bari, Catania, Messina, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, and Rome), dropping to four on Sunday (Catania, Messina, Palermo, and Reggio Calabria).
The extreme heat and hot winds also reignited a wildfire on Mount Morrone in Abruzzo. The fire, which had been burning for 15 days and was thought to be nearly extinguished, flared up again on Friday. More than one hundred personnel, including firefighters, Civil Protection volunteers, and army units, have been deployed, according to the Ansa news agency.
Northern downpours and hailstorms
In contrast, the north has been hit by heavy downpours, a direct consequence of the intense heat. Morning storms brought torrential rain and hail to the lower plains of Lombardy, particularly in the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia, before moving towards Veneto and Trentino. By evening, thunderstorms are expected to reach Piedmont, the Aosta Valley, and northern Lombardy, with rainfall intensifying from early afternoon.
This weather pattern is part of a broader European trend of extreme summer conditions. Recent research has linked extreme heat to a range of overlooked health conditions, underscoring the risks that such heatwaves pose across the continent.
WWF warns of record summer heat
The environmental group WWF has sounded the alarm over the summer's unprecedented heat. "The data from this summer are unequivocal. According to Copernicus, June and July together were the hottest ever recorded in Western Europe, a full 2.79°C above the 1991–2020 average and almost 0.9°C above the previous record set in 2022. This has affected ecosystems and the lives of millions of people. The melting of Alpine glaciers is transforming high-altitude ecosystems and increasing the vulnerability of mountain areas," the organisation said in a statement.
In Italy, WWF noted that more than 90,000 hectares of forest have been burned—a 92% increase compared with the average for the last twenty years over this period (49,000 hectares)—with almost one third of the fires occurring in protected areas. Record temperatures, drought, water scarcity, and wildfires are also putting wildlife under severe stress. For this reason, WWF has called on regional authorities to suspend hunting in September.
The heat has also affected the seas. According to data from the Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS), the European Union's Earth observation programme, June 2026 was the hottest June ever recorded in the Mediterranean, with local anomalies reaching up to 8°C above average. In July, water temperatures in some areas exceeded 30°C.
As Italy grapples with this extreme weather, the country is also facing other challenges. Earlier forecasts had warned of even higher peaks, and the ongoing heat is likely to exacerbate existing pressures on agriculture, energy, and public health.
The split between a scorching south and a stormy north is a stark reminder of how climate change is intensifying weather extremes across Europe. While the immediate focus is on relief from the heat, the longer-term implications for ecosystems, infrastructure, and human health are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
