Heatwave: 7 red and 9 orange alerts, 45 degrees expected on Sardinia

Italy's third heatwave of the summer

is raging and red and orange alerts are increasing.

A red health risk alert is in effect Wednesday for seven Italian

cities: Florence, Perugia, Bologna, Brescia, Frosinone, Rome,

and Turin.

A temperature of 45 degrees Celsius is expected on the island of

Sardinia.

Also on Wednesday, and orange alert is in place for nine other

cities, meaning temperatures and weather conditions could have

negative effects on the population's health, particularly among

the most susceptible.

These are Cagliari, Campobasso, Latina, Milan, Pescara, Rieti,

Trieste, Verona, and Viterbo, according to the latest heatwave

bulletin from the Ministry of Health.

The health ministry's alert system has three levels in addition

to level zero, green, meaning there is no alert.

Level one, yellow, is pre-alert, while level two, orange, means

the temperatures and weather conditions can pose health risks,

especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and the

ill.

Level three, red, means the heat poses a risk to the health of

the general population, not just vulnerable groups.

Italy is experiencing extreme heat due to a powerful African

anticyclone driving hot air directly over the Mediterranean.

This high-pressure system, combined with broader human-induced

climate change causing more frequent and intense heatwaves

across Southern Europe, has pushed temperatures well above

seasonal averages.

Italy has suffered at least seven heat-related deaths his

summer.

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