Italy faces 10 more days of extreme heat: Meteorologists

Italy's fourth heat wave of the summer is expected to continue for at least another 10 days, meteorologists said Thursday, according to the ANSA news agency.

Meteorologists said the heat wave, which has pushed temperatures above 40C (104F) across several cities and as high as 48C (118.4F) in Naples, is likely to persist until after mid-August.

The extreme heat is also expected to trigger severe thunderstorms in northern Italy.

Twenty-six cities will remain under the Health Ministry's highest-level red heat alert on Friday, with the number expected to fall to 21 on Saturday. However, perceived temperatures are expected to remain above warning levels.

Meteorologist Lorenzo Tedici told ANSA that Italy is on course to record "the hottest summer in Italian history."

Atmospheric physicist Lorenzo Giovannini of the University of Trento also said the summer of 2026 was likely to become one of the hottest ever recorded.

Record temperatures were reported Thursday, with thermometers reaching 48C at Naples Central Station.

The heat also fueled wildfires across several regions. A fire burned tons of waste at an ecological waste facility in Pavia province after apparently starting through spontaneous combustion caused by the heat, with firefighters working through the night to contain the blaze.

Firefighters also battled wildfires in Rocca di Cambio in L'Aquila province, Cosenza province and on Mt. Moregallo in Lecco province, where heat and wind fueled the flames.