Italy places 27 cities on highest heat alert as temperatures hit 40°C

Italian authorities have declared the highest level of heat alert in 27 major cities as the country faces an intense and prolonged heatwave, ANSA news agency reported on Thursday, August 6.

“For the first time, all 27 major cities monitored by Italy’s Health Ministry under its heat warning system were placed on the maximum ‘red level’ alert on Thursday amid the country’s fourth heatwave of the year,” the agency said.

The report noted that the “scorching heat, with temperatures in some areas reaching 40 degrees Celsius, is expected to persist for at least another 10 days.”

The highest alert has been introduced in Rome, Bologna, Naples, Milan, Venice, Verona, Florence, Perugia, Palermo and Bari, effectively covering nearly all of Italy’s major tourist destinations.

ANSA explained that a “red alert” — level 3 — indicates a heat emergency, characterised by prolonged high temperatures and a significant overall health risk, even for young and otherwise healthy individuals.

Meanwhile, according to Western media reports, Hungarian authorities have decided to switch off lighting at some of the country’s most well-known buildings in order to conserve electricity amid the heatwave.

In Romania, drought conditions and falling water levels in the Danube River have led to a shortage of electricity generation capacity. As a result, authorities have granted the national grid operator Transelectrica the right to gradually reduce electricity supply.

By Tamilla Hasanova