Health ministry's Level 3 warning covers most of Italy on Tuesday and Wednesday.Italy remains in the grip of an intense heatwave, with the health ministry issuing its maximum Level 3 red alert for 25 cities on Tuesday 30 June and again on Wednesday 1 July.The cities on red alert are Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, Cagliari, Campobasso, Catania, Civitavecchia, Florence, Frosinone, Genoa, Latina, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Rome, Turin, Trieste, Venice, Verona and Viterbo. Reggio Calabria has been placed on a medium orange alert, while Messina is on a lower yellow alert, on both uesday and Wednesday. The red alert - bollino rosso - marks the highest level of warning, indicating emergency conditions with possible negative health effects not only for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, very young children and those with chronic illness, but also for healthy, active adults. Storms expected to break the heat Meteorologists say the worst of the heatwave is now passing. Storms reached parts of northern Italy from Monday evening, with Florence recording rain after 12 consecutive days on red alert, while violent storms in the Turin area caused flooding and brought down trees. Wednesday 1 July is expected to mark the definitive turning point, with storms first affecting northern regions before extending to central and southern Italy, bringing temperatures back towards seasonal norms by around 3 July. However, forecasters caution that a fresh surge of heat, driven by a renewed advance of the African anticyclone, could arrive as early as the coming weekend, with similarly high temperatures possible through July and August. Health advice Italy's health ministry monitors 27 urban centres and publishes a daily heatwave bulletin online. The bulletin highlights the hours between 11.00 and 18.00 as the period of greatest thermal stress, when solar radiation and heat build-up in urban areas peak. The ministry is advising people to limit sun exposure during this window and to stay in cool environments. Residents and visitors are reminded never to leave children or pets in parked cars, to drink plenty of water, eat light meals and avoid strenuous activity in the hottest part of the day. For daily updates on the heatwave, see the Italian health ministry website. Photo credit: Massimo Todaro / Shutterstock.com

Italy remains in the grip of an intense heatwave, with the health ministry issuing its maximum Level 3 red alert for 25 cities on Tuesday 30 June and again on Wednesday 1 July. The cities on red alert are Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, Cagliari, Campobasso, Catania, Civitavecchia, Florence, Frosinone, Genoa, Latina, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Rome, Turin, Trieste, Venice, Verona and Viterbo. Reggio Calabria has been placed on a medium orange alert, while Messina is on a lower yellow alert, on both uesday and Wednesday. The red alert - bollino rosso - marks the highest level of warning, indicating emergency conditions with possible negative health effects not only for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, very young children and those with chronic illness, but also for healthy, active adults. Meteorologists say the worst of the heatwave is now passing. Storms reached parts of northern Italy from Monday evening, with Florence recording rain after 12 consecutive days on red alert, while violent storms in the Turin area caused flooding and brought down trees. Wednesday 1 July is expected to mark the definitive turning point, with storms first affecting northern regions before extending to central and southern Italy, bringing temperatures back towards seasonal norms by around 3 July. However, forecasters caution that a fresh surge of heat, driven by a renewed advance of the African anticyclone, could arrive as early as the coming weekend, with similarly high temperatures possible through July and August. Italy's health ministry monitors 27 urban centres and publishes a daily heatwave bulletin online. The bulletin highlights the hours between 11.00 and 18.00 as the period of greatest thermal stress, when solar radiation and heat build-up in urban areas peak. The ministry is advising people to limit sun exposure during this window and to stay in cool environments. Residents and visitors are reminded never to leave children or pets in parked cars, to drink plenty of water, eat light meals and avoid strenuous activity in the hottest part of the day. For daily updates on the heatwave, see the . Photo credit: Massimo Todaro / Shutterstock.com