Italy has placed nearly all of its major cities under the highest heat alert, with red warnings already in force in 19 urban centres, including Rome, Milan and Naples. The alert is set to expand further by Monday, when all but two of the country's main cities are expected to be covered by the same warning.
The red alert, known in Italy as «bollino rosso», is the most severe level of the country's heat warning system. It is designed to signal conditions in which prolonged heat can become dangerous for the general population, not only for people already considered vulnerable. The warnings are intended to give local authorities, hospitals and residents a clear early indication that extreme temperatures are expected.
The current heat event has been described as an African heatwave, with very hot air moving up from North Africa across southern Europe. In several places, temperatures have already reached 40 degrees Celsius, according to meteorological reports. Nights are offering little relief, and so-called tropical nights have returned across parts of the country, meaning temperatures stay uncomfortably high after sunset.
Among the cities already under red alert are Rome, the capital, Milan in the north and Naples in the south. The scale of the warning, covering nearly every major urban centre, makes this one of the most significant heat-related weather events of the summer. The list of affected cities is expected to grow over the weekend as the official heat bulletins are updated daily.
By Monday, only two major Italian cities are expected to remain outside the red zone. The fact that 19 cities are already under the highest alert underlines the unusual breadth of the heatwave. The warnings are designed to help public services prepare for a rise in heat-related health problems and to encourage people to adjust their daily routines during the hottest part of the day.
The red alert system is used to communicate heat risk clearly, with warnings targeted at the country's biggest cities. The current alerts cover some of Italy's most populous and most visited urban centres, where heat is often intensified by dense surroundings. With temperatures near 40C and warm nights expected to continue, the situation is likely to remain under close scrutiny in the coming days.
The situation is expected to remain under close observation as Italy waits to see whether the African heat plume begins to ease early next week or keeps a firm grip on the country. Either way, the expansion of the red alerts shows that the authorities are treating the heatwave as a significant public-health event, and it is likely to remain a concern until temperatures begin to fall.
