African anticyclone to send temperatures above 40°C in the south, with Rome set to hit 38°C, before a cooler change arrives this weekend.Italy is bracing for its fifth heatwave of the summer, with a fresh surge of hot air from north Africa set to push temperatures well above the seasonal average across much of the country from Thursday.Forecasters say a "heat dome" - a broad area of high pressure trapping and compressing warm air near the ground - is expanding northwards from Algeria, first hitting the south before spreading to central regions including Lazio and the Adriatic coast. Wednesday brought highs of 37-38°C in parts of the south and around 35-36°C in central Italy, with Caltanisetta in inland Sicily recording 42°. The hottest weather is forecast for Thursday and Friday, when temperatures could climb past 40°C in several areas, with peaks of 42°C forecast for Puglia, particularly around Foggia. Cagliari and Reggio Calabria are expected to see highs near 41°C, while Rome and Florence are forecast to reach around 38°C.  Northern regions will also see a return to above-average temperatures, though somewhat less extreme than further south, following a brief respite in recent days. Heat warnings According to the latest bulletin from the health ministry, which monitors 27 cities across the country, Campobasso and Palermo are under the maximum red alert on Thursday 27 August. This heat warning, or 'bollino rosso', is the highest of the three-tier alert system, indicating a health risk to the general population and not just vulnerable groups. There are 11 cities placed on orange alert - signalling a lesser but still significant risk to the elderly, young children and those with chronic illnesses - on Thursday: Ancona, Bari, Cagliari, Catania, Florence, Latina, Messina, Perugia, Reggio Calabria, Rieti and Rome. On Friday 28 August there will be 11 cities on red alert - Campobasso and Palermo will be joined by Cagliari, Catania, Latina, Messina, Reggio Calabria and Rome. Fifth heatwave Meteorologist Lorenzo Tedici of weather forecasting site iLMeteo.it told news agency Adnkronos that this marks the fifth heatwave of the 2026 summer season, following spells in late May, from mid-June, in July and from late July into mid-August. He described the latest spike as "short but very intense", warning it could prove the strongest heatwave of the season for parts of the central and southern regions. The hot spell will be accompanied by bouts of severe weather, with thunderstorms expected to sweep across central-northern regions this week and a second, more violent round forecast for the Alps and Po valley on Friday, bringing risk of localised flooding and strong winds. Relief is expected to arrive from the weekend, with temperatures starting to ease first in the north and centre, while southern Italy will likely have to wait until early next week for a more significant drop. Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com

Italy is bracing for its fifth heatwave of the summer, with a fresh surge of hot air from north Africa set to push temperatures well above the seasonal average across much of the country from Thursday. Forecasters say a "heat dome" - a broad area of high pressure trapping and compressing warm air near the ground - is expanding northwards from Algeria, first hitting the south before spreading to central regions including Lazio and the Adriatic coast. Wednesday brought highs of 37-38°C in parts of the south and around 35-36°C in central Italy, with Caltanisetta in inland Sicily recording 42°. The hottest weather is forecast for Thursday and Friday, when temperatures could climb past 40°C in several areas, with peaks of 42°C forecast for Puglia, particularly around Foggia. Cagliari and Reggio Calabria are expected to see highs near 41°C, while Rome and Florence are forecast to reach around 38°C.  Northern regions will also see a return to above-average temperatures, though somewhat less extreme than further south, following a brief respite in recent days. According to the , which monitors 27 cities across the country, Campobasso and Palermo are under the maximum red alert on Thursday 27 August. This heat warning, or 'bollino rosso', is the highest of the three-tier alert system, indicating a health risk to the general population and not just vulnerable groups. There are 11 cities placed on orange alert - signalling a lesser but still significant risk to the elderly, young children and those with chronic illnesses - on Thursday: Ancona, Bari, Cagliari, Catania, Florence, Latina, Messina, Perugia, Reggio Calabria, Rieti and Rome. On Friday 28 August there will be 11 cities on red alert - Campobasso and Palermo will be joined by Cagliari, Catania, Latina, Messina, Reggio Calabria and Rome. Meteorologist Lorenzo Tedici of weather forecasting site iLMeteo.it told news agency Adnkronos that this marks the fifth heatwave of the 2026 summer season, following spells in late May, from mid-June, in July and from late July into mid-August. He described the latest spike as "short but very intense", warning it could prove the strongest heatwave of the season for parts of the central and southern regions. The hot spell will be accompanied by bouts of severe weather, with thunderstorms expected to sweep across central-northern regions this week and a second, more violent round forecast for the Alps and Po valley on Friday, bringing risk of localised flooding and strong winds. Relief is expected to arrive from the weekend, with temperatures starting to ease first in the north and centre, while southern Italy will likely have to wait until early next week for a more significant drop.