Rome – The heat wave in Italy has reached a new peak: The highest alert level is in effect for 21 cities this Wednesday, while temperatures in many places are approaching the 40-degree mark. It’s not just the air that stands out this summer—the sea does, too. Around Sardinia, the surface water temperature is about six degrees above the average for the past four decades—locally, temperatures of nearly 28 degrees are being recorded, levels usually seen only in midsummer.
The overheated Mediterranean Sea acts like a reservoir that stores the intense heat and barely allows the nights to cool down. For the body, this means constant stress: Hospitals are reporting an increase in emergency room visits, and several regions are reporting around a thousand premature births linked to the extreme weather. In a vineyard, a farmworker succumbed to the heat while working in the fields—a case that has reignited the debate over working hours in extreme temperatures.
Heat Wave in Italy: Thunderstorms and Hail Starting Thursday
But the weather is about to take a turn. Starting Thursday, cooler Atlantic air will push southward, bringing thunderstorms—some of them severe—with heavy rain and hail. Experts are warning of an abrupt change: When warm, moist air meets the cold front, severe storms can form within hours. The drop in temperature is likely to be noticeable, but based on current forecasts, it won’t last long—another heat wave is already on the horizon for the coming weeks.
It is no coincidence that such extremes are becoming more frequent. According to a recent climate study, a heat wave of this magnitude would have been virtually impossible fifty years ago; global warming is significantly increasing the likelihood of such events. For Italy, whose coasts and agriculture are closely tied to the Mediterranean, the warm water is more than just a footnote: it affects fish stocks, fuels severe storms, and is making summers an increasingly grueling ordeal for millions of people.
