Italy facing hottest phase of summer with temperatures up to 43 degrees

ROME, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) — Italy is expected to endure record high temperatures in a summer already filled with severe heat waves.
Meteorological data site Il Meteo said on Tuesday that the coming days will be the “most torrid of the summer” with temperatures as high as 43 degrees Celsius in the southernmost parts of the country. Even in the north, Il Meteo expects temperatures to top 40 degrees Celsius.
“After a brief respite last weekend, the African weather currents are back and stronger than ever and ready to unleash high temperatures across the entire country,” Il Meteo reported.
As of Tuesday, the Ministry of Health said that just five of the country’s 27 largest cities will be under the status of “orange” alert, meaning the hottest parts of the day represent a health risk to the elderly or those otherwise in poor health. By Thursday the number of cities under “orange” or “red” alerts will double (a “red” alert means there are health risks even for young and healthy individuals). But the ministry data only predicts alerts two days into the future, meaning they do not reflect the situation into the weekend, when the hottest temperatures are expected to be recorded.
This is the third consecutive year Italy has struggled under the impacts of long, dry periods across the country. Although this year has not seen the record high temperatures set last year, the heat waves started earlier with the first high temperatures arriving even before summer. ■