The heat wave continues to tighten Italy and reaches its peak in these days. Today, Tuesday 11 August, there are 19 cities with the red dot, the maximum alert level set by the Ministry of Health, while tomorrow, Wednesday 12 August, they will rise to 20.
The red dot concerns today Bari, Bologna, Bolzano, Campobasso, Catania, Civitavecchia, Florence, Frosinone, Genoa, Latina, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, Pescara, Reggio Calabria, Rieti, Rome e Viterbo. From tomorrow it will be added Brescia, while they remain with the orange sticker Ancona e Milan, in addition to Brescia itself up to today. The yellow level instead concerns Cagliari, Turin, Trieste, Venice e Verona.
Intense heat, up to 40 degrees then the peaks begin to drop
This long period of heat is once again determined by the African anticyclone, which maintains stable, sunny and often very muggy conditions over much of the country. temperature Temperatures will remain high for the next few hours. Today, highs could reach 37 degrees in the North, 38-39 degrees in the Center-South, and peaks of up to 40 degrees in Sardinia, especially in inland areas.
The heat will not spare any part of Italy, although the central and southern regions and the islands will experience the heaviest conditions. Making matters even more difficult will be the muggy heat, which is expected to be felt well into the night, especially in areas most exposed to humidity.
The Wednesday August 12 Warm temperatures will remain prevalent, with highs generally ranging between 32 and 39 degrees Celsius. However, some heat storms will be present in the afternoon, especially in the Alps and along the Apennine ridge, with isolated thunderstorms also possible in inland areas of central and southern Italy.
The good news is that the most extreme phase of the heat wave could now be nearing its peak. Starting Thursday, the highest temperatures could ease, generally falling to 36-38 degrees Celsius. This will, however, be a relative decline: the climate will remain fully summery, and the heat will continue to be felt.
A scorching August: the African anticyclone isn't letting up.
The real test will be the weekend of Ferragosto. The Forecasts in fact, they indicate the persistence of the African anticyclone throughout the week, with prevalence of sunshine and still high temperatures.
The internal areas of the Centre, in particular between Toscana, Umbria e Lazio, could reach temperatures close to 38-39 degrees, while peaks around 40 degrees are not excluded in Sardinia. The heat will also remain intense in the North and South, although with temperatures generally lower than the maximums expected in the inland areas of Central Italy and on the islands.
It will therefore be a Ferragosto warm weather, with some afternoon thunderstorms in the mountains but without a real break in the anticyclonic phase.
When will the heat end? A possible respite starting August 18th.
The most interesting news, however, comes after FerragostoThe latest projections from the main meteorological models in fact foresee a possible change between August 18 and 20, when cooler and more unstable currents could begin to gradually erode the African anticyclone.
The drop in temperatures could begin in the northern regions, then spread to the rest of Italy. At the moment, this isn't a definitive and widespread change, but it's a sign that could pave the way for a more dynamic and less scorching phase.
After weeks of intense heat, the first real respite could arrive in the second half of August. First, however, Italy will have to contend with several more days of high temperatures, with the peak of the heatwave expected to coincide with the mid-August holiday.
