Italy's fourth heatwave pushes red-alert cities to 25, with 41°C peaks and no relief until 8 August

Escalating red alerts

The health ministry's heat bulletin shows a rapid escalation. On 31 July, 11 cities were under red alert. That number rose to 19 on 1 August, then 23 on 2 August, and will reach 25 on Monday 3 August, out of 27 monitored urban centres. Only Messina and Reggio Calabria remain at yellow, the pre-alert level. The red alert, level 3, indicates emergency conditions with possible health effects even for healthy and active people, not just the elderly, young children, and chronically ill. The ministry warns that the longer the heatwave lasts, the greater the negative health impacts.

Temperature peaks and stifling humidity

Forecast highs are extreme. Lorenzo Tedici of iLMeteo.it said the heat would persist.

41°C are forecast in Terni and 40°C in Ferrara, Mantua, Modena and Parma, values that will persist at least until Monday.

Rome is expected to approach 40°C, while Florence also tops 40°C. High humidity is compounding the discomfort. In Ladispoli, on the coast near Rome, 37°C combined with humidity near 70% creates conditions that meteorologists liken to the Amazon basin during the rainy season. Sea surface temperatures around Italy are almost everywhere above 28°C, well above seasonal norms, reducing the cooling effect of sea breezes and keeping nighttime minimums from dropping below 25°C. Meteorologist Flavio Galbiati of Meteo Expert noted that minimums recorded just before dawn mask the fact that heat remains intense through the evening and most of the night.

No quick relief

The African high-pressure system driving the heatwave is firmly anchored over Italy and much of Europe. Some isolated thunderstorms may develop over the Alps and Apennines, but they will be brief and localised, offering no structural cooling. Galbiati said a new temperature peak is likely between 5 and 8 August. Longer-range models hint at greater instability from 8 August, mainly in the north, but forecasters urge caution given the time distance.

Political reactions and health concerns

Rome's mayor Roberto Gualtieri used the heatwave to renew his call for a national strategy.

Italy, unlike other European countries, is leaving municipalities alone and has no strategy to face heatwaves.

He said the capital has 660 climate shelters and a "Great cold at the cinema" initiative that has drawn thousands into air-conditioned theatres. He wants a national network of climate shelters and more urban greenery. Opposition leader Elly Schlein of the Democratic Party accused the government of inaction.

Cities cannot be abandoned by the inaction, by the inertia of a government that is underestimating how real and unfortunately concrete the impact of the climate emergency is.

She cited 12,000 heat-related deaths in Europe during this latest wave and said the climate emergency continues to claim victims in Italy, particularly among the elderly afraid to leave their homes.

There are already 12,000 dead in Europe for this latest heatwave and unfortunately the climate emergency continues to claim victims also in our country.

Fires and travel disruption

The heat is also fuelling wildfires. According to Ispra, the national institute for environmental protection and research, during the second ten days of July an average of 225 square kilometres burned per day across Europe, an area roughly twice the size of Paris. Meanwhile, the summer exodus has triggered a black alert on Italian roads, with an estimated 26 million trips expected. Anas, the road agency, has suspended 83% of its construction sites until 7 September to ease traffic.