By Euronews
The fifth heatwave reached its peak on Friday, splitting Italy in two, with temperatures in the centre-south and on the islands above 40 degrees, a full ten degrees above the seasonal average, and severe thunderstorms forecast in the north in the coming hours.
Making the situation worse is humidity, which pushes the perceived temperature at least five degrees higher than the actual reading, as well as scorching nights, known as "tropical" nights, with temperatures in many cases close to 30 degrees.
Despite a slight improvement expected over the next few days, meteorologists have warned that temperatures will remain far above average even in September.
Nine cities are on red alert for the heat emergency, where the health risks linked to the extreme muggy conditions are serious even for people not considered vulnerable. They are Bari, Cagliari, Campobasso, Catania, Latina, Messina, Palermo, Reggio Calabria and Rome.
