© Chris Czermak via Unsplash
Italy has placed almost all of its major cities on the highest “red” heat alert: a new heat wave caused by a subtropical anticyclone from North Africa is ravaging the Southern European country.
According to the Italian Ministry of Health, 19 cities were already under a red alert on Saturday, including the country’s largest cities such as Rome, Milan, Venice, and Naples. By Monday, 25 of the 27 major cities will be on red alert. Only Reggio Calabria and Messina are on code amber, the second-highest alert level.
With temperatures rising to 35 degrees and higher, even healthy, active people are at risk. Residents of major Italian cities are advised to stay indoors during the hottest hours (that is, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.), avoid direct sunlight, and drink plenty of fluids.
Heat waves in several European countries
Italy is not the only country dealing with extreme heat in recent days. The high temperatures have caused major wildfires in numerous European countries following successive heat waves. In France, thousands of people were evacuated due to fires that flared up again, although the major fire in Gironde is under control and hundreds of thousands have been able to return to their homes.
In Greece, hundreds of people, mostly tourists, were evacuated by sea due to fires near the coastal town of Viotia. Spain and Portugal are also dealing with abnormally large areas of land burned. In Spain, more than 200,000 hectares have already gone up in flames in 2026—about five times the average.
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the fastest-warming continent, leading to more intense heat waves, water stress, and more severe wildfires.
© Chris Czermak via Unsplash