The fourth heatwave is on its way: Campobasso is on red alert today, with 10 orange alerts expected tomorrow
In the inland plains of central and northern Italy, temperatures could reach 40 degrees by next weekend. According to iLMeteo.it, the extreme heat is set to last until at least 7 August
Key points
The summer of 2026 is giving Italians no respite: the intense heat is returning, with the subtropical high-pressure system firmly re-establishing itself over the Mediterranean basin. Following the drop in temperatures recorded towards the end of last week, the peninsula is once again sweltering. The fourth heatwave of the year is on its way, following those that hit the country in late May, the second half of June and mid-July.
Highs of up to 40 degrees
A sharp rise in temperatures is forecast for this week, with highs of 36–38 degrees expected as early as Wednesday 29 July in the inland plains of central and northern Italy, reaching as high as 40 degrees over the weekend. Although the heatwave will gradually affect most of Italia, the areas initially hardest hit will be the northern plains and the central regions.
According to Federico Brescia, a meteorologist at iLMeteo.it, in the coming days “we will be facing a new, particularly intense heatwave” due to the presence of “a decidedly scorching air mass which, as it pushes down towards the ground, will cause temperatures to soar from as early as Wednesday 29 July”.
The Ministry of Health’s bulletin
The rapid rise in temperatures set to affect large parts of the country from tomorrow is highlighted in the Ministry of Health’s daily bulletin on heatwaves. Yesterday, there were still no cities on ‘red alert’ – the highest alert level – with only two on ‘orange’ (Campobasso and Palermo), ten on ‘yellow’ and the remainder of the 27 urban centres being monitored on ‘green’.
Today, however, the number of areas on yellow alert has doubled, reaching twenty, and the number of urban centres on orange alert has risen to three (Messina, Perugia and Rieti), whilst Campobasso has moved to red. Today, only Cagliari, Venice and Verona remain on green alert.
