by InTrieste
Friuli Venezia Giulia entered Italy’s highest level of heat alert on Monday as the country’s fourth major heatwave of the summer pushed temperatures higher across much of the peninsula.
Italy’s Health Ministry placed Trieste under a level-three “red alert,” the highest warning issued for extreme heat, as 25 of the 27 cities monitored nationwide reached the maximum risk category. Only Messina and Reggio Calabria remained under a lower yellow alert.
The ministry said red-alert conditions pose health risks not only to vulnerable groups such as older adults, young children and people with chronic illnesses, but also to healthy and active individuals.
The number of cities under the highest warning has increased steadily in recent days, rising from 19 on Saturday to 23 on Sunday before reaching 25 on Monday, marking the broadest heat alert of the summer so far.
While central and southern Italy are expected to experience the most intense temperatures, with forecasts approaching 40 degrees Celsius in several cities and reaching as high as 44 degrees in inland Sardinia, northeastern regions including Friuli Venezia Giulia are also experiencing prolonged periods of above-average heat. In coastal cities such as Trieste, high humidity is expected to make conditions feel significantly warmer.
Meteorologists attribute the latest heatwave to a subtropical anticyclone extending across southern Europe. It is the fourth major heatwave to affect Italy since late May.
The extreme temperatures come amid ongoing drought conditions in parts of northern Italy. Water levels in the Po River remain exceptionally low, raising concerns for agriculture, while forecasters say the current heatwave could continue through the Ferragosto holiday period in mid-August.
Health authorities continue to advise residents to stay hydrated, avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest hours of the day and check regularly on elderly relatives and neighbors.
