Rome – The heat wave in Italy continues, and the Mediterranean Sea is getting hotter and hotter. Off the coast of Mallorca, the Sa Dragonera monitoring buoy recorded a surface water temperature of 33.02 degrees—the highest reading ever recorded at this station. For Friday, August 7, the Ministry of Health has issued a „bollino rosso“—the highest of three heat warning levels—for 26 of the 27 major cities under monitoring.
On Thursday, for the first time this summer, all 27 cities reached the red level at the same time. Now, only Bolzano is dropping one level; according to forecasts, the number of red-level cities will fall to 21 by Saturday. Red means that the heat is no longer affecting only the elderly, the chronically ill, or those in need of care, but the entire population. Measurements from Campania show just how hot the cities themselves are getting: Around Naples’ central train station and at the Afragola wholesale market, surface temperatures reached 48 degrees, as determined by the environmental organization Legambiente using satellite data. In Verona, the thermometer climbed to 41 degrees, while the porphyry pavement of Piazza Bra reached nearly 57 degrees.
Heat Wave in Italy: Heat Alerts to Last Through Ferragosto
This is due to a subtropical high-pressure system that is pushing hot air from North Africa across the peninsula and largely preventing nighttime cooling. Meteorologists expect this situation to persist for about ten more days. A brief break is expected in the north over the weekend, when thunderstorms will develop over the Alps and the Apennines. After that, the high-pressure system is expected to reassert itself and carry the warning conditions well past Ferragosto, the holiday on August 15.
The warm ocean is making the situation even worse in two ways. It barely cools down coastal towns at night and, at the same time, fuels severe storms as soon as cooler air moves in. Experts are therefore warning of torrential downpours, hail, and gusty winds that can develop within a matter of hours. For the hot days themselves, the usual recommendations apply: drink plenty of fluids, spend the midday hours in the shade or in air-conditioned rooms, avoid strenuous physical activity outdoors, and keep an eye on elderly neighbors or those living alone.
