Italy’s weather split between north and south, 130 million Europeans hit by heatwave

The scorching heatwave gripping Italy is beginning to gradually ease: according to local meteorologists, of the 21 cities currently under red alert today, only two will remain so tomorrow.

Italian media report that the extreme heat will retreat with the start of July, while forecasts point to a change in the weather expected to bring this unusual heat, step by step, to an end. It has affected not only Italy, but also most of Europe.

An unstable atmospheric front coming from the North Atlantic is expected to first hit the north of the neighboring country and then, between Thursday and Friday, move toward the center and south, bringing storms, strong winds and hail as it passes. In Central and Eastern Europe, around 130 million people have spent days under temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia have recorded the highest temperatures ever registered, while Ukraine has ordered electricity outages to cope with the heavy load on the grid. In Slovakia, 41°C was recorded on Monday in the southwest of the country, while in the Czech Republic the thermometer reached almost 42°C in Doksany. The previous record was 40.4°C, measured in 2021.

Authorities described the 1.5°C breach of the record as “absolutely unprecedented,” stressing that the very duration of this heatwave is also extraordinary, both in its intensity and its geographic reach.