Italy puts all 27 major cities on red heat alert as temps hit 40°C

Temperatures have climbed to 40°C in some areas of Italy as the health ministry places all 27 major cities under its highest heat alert. According to the health ministry, this marks the first time this year that every major city has been issued a red alert, amid the country's fourth heatwave of the summer.

The health ministry explained that a red alert indicates a potential health emergency, noting that prolonged high temperatures pose a serious health risk to the entire population, including young and healthy people. Local authorities have urged residents to avoid exposure to heat and direct sunlight between 11am and 6pm, stay indoors where possible, and drink plenty of fluids.

How the alert spread across Italy

• Tuesday: 25 cities were placed on red alert.
• Wednesday: 25 cities remained on red alert, with Messina and Reggio Calabria remaining on a lesser amber alert.
• Thursday: Messina and Reggio Calabria moved up to the maximum red level, bringing all 27 major cities onto red alert.

Forecasters report that a North African anticyclone has strengthened over the Mediterranean and stretched across much of Europe, driving the current heatwave. Little relief is expected before the weekend.

Wider European impacts on energy and waterways

The continent-wide heat wave is also impacting energy supplies and river levels. In Hungary, low water levels in the Danube river brought the country close to a forced shutdown of its only nuclear power plant. Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated that the facility came close to a complete shutdown overnight before water levels stabilized and rose slightly.

In Romania, low water levels forced the closure of two nuclear reactors. Romanian authorities conducted a controlled explosion in the river to redirect cooling water to the sole operational nuclear plant. Meanwhile, a Bulgarian nuclear power plant has not reduced its capacity, though low water levels caused a cruise ship near the port city of Vidin to run aground, forcing the evacuation of almost 200 tourists.

The Danube's retreat has exposed World War II relics in Serbia, where drought has brought dozens of Nazi-era German warships scuttled during the 1944 retreat back into view.

Wildfires and heat records across the continent

Weeks of hot weather have created ideal conditions for destructive wildfires. In the Western Attica region of Greece, close to Athens, over 500 firefighters and multiple helicopters battled a blaze that began the previous week. Greek fire department deputy spokesman Yiannis Artopios told ERT News that conditions were constantly changing, making the flames difficult to tackle.

Tragedy has accompanied the Greek fires. Two firefighting helicopters collided in midair, killing two crew members. Additional firefighter fatalities occurred previously on Crete and the Peloponnese region.

In France, many major wildfires from the previous week are under control, and residents in the southwestern Gironde region near Bordeaux were allowed to return home. However, the fires led to the discovery of what are thought to be unexploded munitions from World War II, with bomb disposal experts directed to the area according to Martial Zaninetti, the mayor of the commune of Le Porge.

Record-breaking temperatures have triggered warnings elsewhere. The United Kingdom's Health Security Agency issued heat health alerts for eight regions of England for the first half of the week. Additionally, the Czech Republic recorded its highest overnight temperature ever in the eastern town of Bystřice pod Hostýnem, reaching 27.9 degrees Celsius.