Italy putting nearly all major cities on highest heat alert

Italy putting nearly all major cities on highest heat alert Skip to content

Home News US & Canada UK UK Politics England N. Ireland N. Ireland Politics Scotland Scotland Politics Wales Wales Politics Africa Asia China India Australia Europe Latin America Middle East In Pictures BBC InDepth BBC Verify Sport Business World of Business Technology of Business NYSE Opening Bell Technology Artificial Intelligence Intelligence Revolution AI v the Mind Tech Now Health Culture Film & TV Music Art & Design Style Books Entertainment News Arts Arts in Motion Travel Destinations Africa Antarctica Asia Australia and Pacific Caribbean & Bermuda Central America Europe Middle East North America South America World’s Table Culture & Experiences Adventures The SpeciaList Earth Science Natural Wonders Climate Solutions Sustainable Business Green Living Audio Podcast Categories Radio Audio FAQs Video BBC Maestro Discover the World Live Live News Live Sport

Site search

Home

News

Sport

Business

Technology

Health

Culture

Arts

Travel

Earth

Audio

Video

Live

Weather Newsletters Watch Live

Italy putting nearly all major cities on highest heat alert

3 days agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on Google

Jaroslav Lukiv

Anadolu via Getty Images

Italian health officials urge residents in the affected areas to avoid exposure to heat and direct sunlight by staying indoors and drinking plenty of fluids

Italy is putting nearly all of its major cities on the highest "red" alert for high temperatures, as a new heatwave grips the country.

Health officials say 19 cities from north to south - including the capital Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples - are already at red alert, and by Monday all but two cities will be.

Temperatures hit mid-30s C in many places on Saturday, and authorities are warning of risks to even healthy and active people - not just groups including the elderly, very young children and people with chronic illnesses.

The warnings come as several European nations battle devastating wildfires after a succession of heatwaves that have created favourable conditions for blazes.

Devastating European wildfires in maps - and how they're being tackled

France and Spain wildfire witnesses describe 'wall of flames', fear and stress

In its latest heatwave bulletin published on Saturday, the Italian health ministry says that by Monday, some 25 of the country's 27 major cities will be on red alert.

It says it expects only two - Reggio Calabria in the southern tip of Italy's "boot" and Messina, facing it across on the island of Sicily - to be on the second-highest "amber" alert.

The ministry urges residents in the affected areas to avoid exposure to heat and direct sunlight during the hottest hours between 11:00 and 18:00, stay indoors and drink plenty of fluids.

The extreme heat is being caused by a subtropical anticyclone from North Africa that is now strengthening over the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, firefighters in Greece, France, Portugal and Spain are still tackling blazes spanning thousands of hectares.

In France, some 2,500 people were evacuated in the south-eastern Var region on Friday evening after a blaze - which had been contained for several days - reignited, local officials said.

But a massive fire in the south-western Gironde region is now under control, and some 200,000 local evacuated residents have been able to return to their homes.

Helicopters and firefighters battle huge wildfires in Greece

In Greece, hundreds of people - mostly tourists - have been evacuated by sea from a coastal town of Viotia hemmed in by one of the many wildfires raging across the country.

And in Spain, more than 200,000 hectares of land has burnt in 2026 - roughly five times above the average by this point in the year - while the burnt land in Portugal is also higher than usual, EU data shows.

Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world, and Europe is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

This is causing increased summer heatwaves, greater pressure on Europe's water supply, and more intense wildfires.

Italy Europe France Spain Greece Portugal Europe heatwaves Heatwaves Climate

How to avoid the worst of the Italian heat

Mourners line streets of Milan for legend Baresi's funeral

AC Milan and Italy great Baresi dies aged 66

Italy putting nearly all major cities on highest heat alert

Related Articles

(no title)

Scientists reverse brain aging, with a nasal spray

NHS apologises and admits Palantir have access to identifiable patient data

AI has torched the market for junior programmers

Al Vigier: Canada's AI strategy shouldn't include secret Palantir bills