Advertisement

Southern Italy sizzles in temperatures up to 45C as heatwave continues

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Southern Italy sizzles in temperatures up to 45C as heatwave continues
The place to be this week if you're in southern Italy. Photo: Oliver Moran/AFP

The heatwave is set to ‘peak’ in southern Italian regions on Thursday and Friday, with temperatures remaining around 40C (104F) in many areas.

Advertisement

While the whole country is feeling the heat this week, the south is in for more sizzling temperatures throughout the weekend while things should cool down slightly sooner in the north.

The country has been "divided in two" as hot and cool air currents meet over southern Europe, weather forecasters say.

READ ALSO: How to keep cool like an Ancient Roman in Italy's summer heat

The hottest regions are Sicily, Calabria and Puglia, where the early summer heatwave is expected to reach its 'peak' on Thursday on Friday.

Authorities in Sicily have already reported highs of 44.5C in some inland areas on Wednesday.

Advertisement

High humidity and dusty skies have created stifling conditions across the southern regions as warm currents of air moved in this week from North Africa.

“The cold air mass over Western Europe meets very hot currents over the central Mediterranean, caused by the subtropical anticyclone, which also brings with it the desert dust which is enveloping our peninsula,” meteorologist Giulio Betti told Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Thursday.

READ ALSO: ‘Four to five light meals a day’: Italy’s official advice during a heatwave

Adding to the hot and sticky atmosphere is the so-called ‘Afa‘, or hot-humid air.

Temperatures are less extreme in the north of Italy this week, though thunderstorms are expected in some areas, particularly around the Alps, later on Thursday.

From Saturday, temperatures are expected to drop slightly in the north and centre of Italy, before also falling in the south from Sunday.

In many southern areas, temperatures are set to remain in the low-to-mid 30s in the early part of next week before climbing to 40C again.

 

 

 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also