Italy putting nearly all major cities on highest heat alert
Some 19 major Italian cities - including Rome, Milan and Naples - are already on red alert, and by Monday all but two will be.
Italy has placed nearly all of its major cities under the highest red alert for extreme heat, as a new heatwave sweeps across the country. Health officials have declared 19 cities, from north to south, including Rome, Milan, Venice, and Naples, in the red alert category. By Monday, this alert is expected to cover all but two cities: Reggio Calabria and Messina.
Temperatures have soared to mid-30s Celsius in many areas, posing risks not only to vulnerable groups like the elderly, young children, and those with chronic illnesses, but also to healthy individuals. The Italian health ministry warns residents in affected areas to limit exposure to heat and direct sunlight during peak hours, stay indoors, and drink plenty of fluids.
The cause of this extreme heat is a strengthening subtropical anticyclone from North Africa over the Mediterranean. Wildfires are also ravaging several European nations, with Greece, France, Portugal, and Spain still battling blazes spanning thousands of hectares. In France, the Var region saw 2,500 evacuations after a reignited blaze, while Greece evacuated hundreds of tourists and residents from a coastal town.
Spain reported over 200,000 hectares burned, nearly five times the yearly average, while Portugal's burnt land is also above average. Climate change is driving up world temperatures, with Europe experiencing the fastest warming, twice as fast as the global average, leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves and wildfires.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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