At least 15 Italian cities woke up this Tuesday (23) on red alert for high temperatures, amid the heat wave that is affecting much of Western Europe. It is the maximum level on the government's alert scale.
The list includes Ancona, Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, FlorençaFrosinone, Milan, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Rome, Turin, Venice, Verona, and Viterbo. Temperatures are expected to exceed 30ºC in these locations, with a heat index close to 40ºC.
According to the Ministry of Health, the number of municipalities at the most serious level rises to 16 this Wednesday (24), with the entry of Latina, and to 17 on Thursday (25), with the addition of Bari. In total, 27 cities are being monitored.
The red alert warns of potential negative effects of the heat on healthy and active people, and not just on at-risk groups such as the elderly, very young children, and people with chronic illnesses.
Milan and Turin have already experienced power outages due to the sharp increase in the use of air conditioning. ParmaThe hospital service recorded more than a thousand visits in three days due to the heat.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government approved a decree on Monday allowing for reduced working hours in the face of high temperatures or placing employees on paid leave.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the current heat wave not only as a meteorological phenomenon, but as a health emergency. “La nostra regione sta vivendo il riscaldamento più rapido al mondo” (Our region is experiencing the fastest warming in the world), said Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
According to Kluge, the heat has caused more than 200 deaths in Europe in the last four years. Mortality linked to high temperatures has increased by 30% in two decades.
(With information from ANSA)
