Italy's fourth heatwave of the summer has pushed sea surface temperatures past the critical 30°C threshold, matching conditions found in tropical waters, after earlier reporting detailed red alerts across the peninsula and overnight lows above 25 degrees.
For the first time, all 27 cities monitored by the health ministry were simultaneously on red alert last Thursday, before storms brought slight relief to northern areas. Nineteen cities remain on maximum alert, with Brescia set to join them on Wednesday, bringing the total back to 20. Experts estimate the prolonged above-average heat could cause between 5,000 and 7,000 excess deaths this summer. A Moldovan construction worker died on August 4 from heat collapse and a heart attack on his first day of undeclared work, and three people died on Sunday while at the seaside.
Meteorologist Federico Brescia forecasts peaks of 40°C in central inland and lowland areas, with intense stability persisting through the Ferragosto weekend of August 15–16. A potential shift in atmospheric circulation may arrive around August 17–18.