Italian authorities have announced a red-level heatwave warning, the highest level, for nearly all major cities nationwide after a new heatwave moved in to cover the area.
On Saturday, 1 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Italy's Ministry of Health revealed that 19 major cities, from the north to the south—including capitals like Rome, Milan, Venice, and Naples—are already under the highest-level red heat warning. By Monday, nearly all cities (25 out of 27) are expected to be upgraded to this highest alert level.
It is expected that only two cities, Reggio Calabria at Italy's southernmost tip and Messina across on the island of Sicily, will remain under an orange-level warning.
Italy’s action follows Saturday temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country, prompting authorities to warn that heat risks can affect everyone, not just vulnerable groups like the elderly, young children, or those with chronic illnesses.
The Italian Ministry of Health advised residents in affected areas to avoid direct heat and sunlight during the hottest hours between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., to stay indoors, and to drink plenty of water.
This latest heatwave is caused by a subtropical high-pressure system moving from North Africa over the Mediterranean Sea, which is now intensifying further.
Other European countries such as Greece, France, Portugal, and Spain are also experiencing heatwave effects, worsening the wildfire situations they are currently facing.
In France, local officials reported that about 2,500 residents in the Var department in the southeast had to evacuate on Friday evening after a wildfire, previously under control for several days, flared up again.
However, a large wildfire in the Gironde department in the southwest has been brought under control, and about 200,000 residents previously evacuated are beginning to return home.
In Greece, several hundred people, mostly tourists, were evacuated by sea from coastal towns in the Viotia region, which is surrounded by wildfires among multiple active fire zones across the country.
In Spain, European Union data show that over 200,000 hectares of forest have been burned in 2026, about five times the average for this period, while Portugal has also seen above-normal areas affected by wildfires.
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Source:bbc