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HEATWAVE

The heat’s (back) on: Italy braced for temperatures of over 40C

Italian weather forecasters predicted temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s in many parts of the country over the weekend, with the heatwave set to last around ten days.

Published: 14 July 2022 15:55 CEST
The heat's (back) on: Italy braced for temperatures of over 40C
Italy has issued heat warnings for the coming days as temperatures soar in Rome, Milan, Florence and beyond. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

Temperatures across Italy have been steadily rising once again this week. From Thursday, weather forecasters warn temperatures will be unusually high in many parts of the country – and will stay that way until the end of next week.

The incoming heatwave is the fifth Italy has experienced so far this year, and it’s forecast to be the most intense yet.

READ ALSO: ‘Four to five light meals a day’: Italy’s official advice for surviving the heat

Friday and Saturday will be the two hottest days, according to weather news site Il Meteo, with maximum temperatures over 35 degrees from north to south and peaks of 36-38°C by Friday.

Milan, Bologna and Florence were expected to be the hottest Italian cities on Friday, with Rome forecast to be a more manageable 31°C.

The highest temperatures of all are expected in localised areas of the northern Po Valley, where drought has already decimated crops and prompted local authorities to place restrictions on water usage.

Temperatures will continue to climb towards 40°C in parts of the north and centre-south of the country over the weekend and into next week, with the mercury predicted to rise highest in inland parts of central Italy and Sardinia.

EXPLAINED: How could Italy’s drought state of emergency affect you?

The heatwave is expected to peak by Wednesday, July 20th, but temperatures are set to remain throughout next week with accompanying high humidity creating sticky and unpleasant conditions.

Forecasters said on Thursday that temperatures are likely to exceed 40 degrees by Wednesday in inland areas of the north and the centre-south of the country.

Italy has already experienced a series of unusually powerful and lengthy heatwaves in 2022, resulting in three times more wildfires than usual and exacerbating the worst drought in 70 years after months of low rainfall and an unusually dry winter.

The government has released official advice on how to stay safe during the extreme weather, including by avoiding going outdoors between 11am and 6pm; wearing a light-coloured hat, sunglasses and sunscreen when outdoors; taking periodic showers to reduce body temperature; and drinking at least two litres of water a day.

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CLIMATE CRISIS

‘Extreme’ climate blamed for world’s worst wine harvest in 62 years

World wine production dropped 10 percent last year, the biggest fall in more than six decades, because of "extreme" climate changes, the body that monitors the trade said on Thursday.

Published: 26 April 2024 08:48 CEST
'Extreme' climate blamed for world's worst wine harvest in 62 years

“Extreme environmental conditions” including droughts, fires and other problems with climate were mostly to blame for the drastic fall, said the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) that covers nearly 50 wine producing countries.

Australia and Italy suffered the worst, with 26 and 23 percent drops. Spain lost more than a fifth of its production. Harvests in Chile and South Africa were down by more than 10 percent.

The OIV said the global grape harvest was the worst since 1961, and worse even than its early estimates in November.

In further bad news for winemakers, customers drank three per cent less wine in 2023, the French-based intergovernmental body said.

Director John Barker highlighted “drought, extreme heat and fires, as well as heavy rain causing flooding and fungal diseases across major northern and southern hemisphere wine producing regions.”

Although he said climate problems were not solely to blame for the drastic fall, “the most important challenge that the sector faces is climate change.

“We know that the grapevine, as a long-lived plant cultivated in often vulnerable areas, is strongly affected by climate change,” he added.

France bucked the falling harvest trend, with a four percent rise, making it by far the world’s biggest wine producer.

Wine consumption last year was however at its lowest level since 1996, confirming a fall-off over the last five years, according to the figures.

The trend is partly due to price rises caused by inflation and a sharp fall in wine drinking in China – down a quarter – due to its economic slowdown.

The Portuguese, French and Italians remain the world’s biggest wine drinkers per capita.

Barker said the underlying decrease in consumption is being “driven by demographic and lifestyle changes. But given the very complicated influences on global demand at the moment,” it is difficult to know whether the fall will continue.

“What is clear is that inflation is the dominant factor affecting demand in 2023,” he said.

Land given over to growing grapes to eat or for wine fell for the third consecutive year to 7.2 million hectares (17.7 million acres).

But India became one of the global top 10 grape producers for the first time with a three percent rise in the size of its vineyards.

France, however, has been pruning its vineyards back slightly, with its government paying winemakers to pull up vines or to distil their grapes.

The collapse of the Italian harvest to its lowest level since 1950 does not necessarily mean there will be a similar contraction there, said Barker.

Between floods and hailstones, and damp weather causing mildew in the centre and south of the country, the fall was “clearly linked to meteorological conditions”, he said.

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