Italy's health ministry raised its Uk heatwave maximum Level 3 red alert to 16 cities on Wednesday 24 June. Latina joined the list as the warning widened during an intense early-summer spell. The alert is the highest level in the ministry's daily bulletin system and points to emergency conditions.
The ministry says the red alert can bring possible negative health effects for vulnerable groups and for healthy, active adults. It monitors 27 urban centres and publishes a daily bulletin, so the warning applies to a defined set of cities rather than the whole country.
Latina joins Italy’s red list
On Tuesday 23 June, Ancona, Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, Florence, Frosinone, Milan, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Rome, Turin, Venice, Verona and Viterbo were under the maximum alert. By Wednesday 24 June, Latina had been added, taking the total to 16 cities. The ministry said Bari was expected to be added on Friday, which would take the red-alert total to 17.
The ministry also advised people in red-alert areas to avoid sun exposure and outdoor exertion during the middle of the day, drink at least 1.5 litres of water daily, eat lightly and keep medication stored at the correct temperature. Residents and visitors were also reminded never to leave children or pets in parked cars. Italy operates a freephone health helpline on 1500.
Cerberus drives the heat
The heat was being driven by the African anticyclone known as Cerberus. In the Po Valley, daytime highs were reaching 37-38°C, while Turin could see 39°C. Rome and Naples were expected to stay below 36°C, even as the red-alert area expanded.
Minimum temperatures were failing to drop below 24-25°C in many areas, limiting recovery overnight. Meteorologists warned that the spell of anomalous heat could potentially rival the extreme summer of 2003, and the intense conditions were not expected to ease significantly until early July.
For people in the 16 red-alert cities, the practical message is immediate: stay out of the midday sun, cut physical exertion and keep close watch on anyone more vulnerable to heat stress. The next step is the ministry's Friday update, when Bari was expected to enter the red-alert list and the count could rise again.
