Italy puts all major cities on red heat alert
Xinhua · 2 SOURCESabout 17 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Italy on Thursday escalated its heat response by placing all 27 major cities monitored by the Health Ministry under a Level 3 red alert, the first time the entire network has been covered by the top warning at once . The move reflects the severity of the country's fourth heatwave this summer, with forecasts pointing to temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius and at least 10 more days of dangerous conditions in many areas .
Key Points
- The red alert now stretches from Palermo in Sicily to Bolzano in northern Italy, although Bolzano is expected to be downgraded to orange on Friday .
- Italy's Health Ministry says a Level 3 alert signals a heatwave emergency threatening not only vulnerable groups but also healthy people across the population .
- Messina and Reggio Calabria were the latest southern cities added to the maximum warning list, bringing the total under red alert to 27 .
- Italy has already faced four major heatwaves this summer, while drought and wildfires have disrupted agriculture and been linked to multiple deaths .
- Around 70,000 hectares have burned in Italy this summer, while Hungary switched off lights at prominent buildings and Bulgaria closed part of the Trakia highway near Sofia because of wildfire .
Why It Matters
The heatwave underscores how extreme weather is hitting Europe on multiple fronts at once, combining public health risks, energy pressure, wildfire damage and economic disruption . Scientists cited in Italy say climate change is making heatwaves and other severe events more frequent across the Mediterranean, while the EU is preparing to press member states to invest more in wildfire prevention after this summer's blazes were estimated to have cost more than 15 billion euros .