The incoming heatwave, driven by the return of an African anticyclone, was set to push temperatures as high as 40°C in parts of southern Italy and 36°C in the centre-north.
The health ministry issued a low-level yellow alert for heat in 21 cities on Saturday, June 29th, with just six cities, including Venice and Genoa, under a zero-risk green alert.
The alert was raised to amber for 17 cities as the heat was set to intensify on Sunday, June 30th: Rome, Florence, Palermo, Bologna, Ancona, Bolzano, Brescia, Campobasso, Catania, Frosinone, Latina, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Trieste, Verona and Viterbo.
Temperatures on Saturday were set to reach averages of 35-36°C in the north, 36-37°C in the centre, and 39°C in the south of Italy, according to forecasters from Italian weather website IlMeteo.it.
Rome and Florence were expected to see mercury levels rise to 37°C, according to Italy’s national weather service forecast.
READ ALSO: ‘Four to five light meals a day’: Italy’s official advice for surviving the heat
The northwest of the country, which has been battered by rain in recent weeks, was forecast to experience more unstable weather in the afternoon as thunderstorms in the Alps move down towards Valle d’Aosta, Piedmont and Lombardy.
On Sunday, hot and sunny weather was expected to prevail throughout the peninsula, with temperatures of up to 41-42°C forecast for areas of inland Sicily.
Italy’s medium-level amber warnings indicate conditions that may pose a risk to the elderly, sick or very young.
The health ministry recommends avoiding outdoor activity and exposure to the sun in the middle of the day.
Temperatures were expected to begin to fall over the weekend, with rain and storms forecast as the heat breaks in many parts of the country on Monday and into Tuesday.
Above-average temperatures were likely again this summer across Italy and much of Europe, according to the latest mid-range forecasts.
So….errr…like it’s summer then?