The current heatwave will hit a peak in southern Italian regions on Thursday and Friday with temperatures around the 40ºC in many areas.
The whole of Italy is feeling the heat this week. While the south will maintain the scorching temperatures through the weekend, the north should experience cooler temperatures.
Heatwave hottest in the south
The hottest regions are Sicily, Calabria and Puglia. The heatwave is expected to peak on Thursday on Friday. Sicily authorities are already reporting highs of 44.5C, inland.
The reason for the stifling temperatures is the warm currents of air coming from North Africa. It brings dust and high humidity with it.
Meteorologist Giulio Betti told Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Thursday, “The cold air mass over Western Europe meets very hot currents over the central Mediterranean, caused by the subtropical anticyclone, which also brings with it the desert dust which is enveloping our peninsula.”
Northern areas cooling down
The north of Italy experiences less extreme temperatures this week. Also, the Alpine areas may experience thunderstorms on Thursday.
However, temperatures should drop from Saturday in northern and central Italy. The south will also experience a slight dip before the temperatures soar back up to the 40ºs next week.
