:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/YTHPCQLZWRCZVIGMULWLEIVX6Q.jpg "Strong heat wave hits Italy with highs of up to 48 degrees")
The strong heat wave these days in Europe will also hit Italy, where peaks that can reach 48 degrees are expected in the south of the country.
In addition, it already has four cities on red alert today, such as Rome, Bari (south), Campobasso and Rieti (center), according to the Italian Ministry of Health.
These high temperatures, which will remain at least until this weekend, are due to the subtropical African anticyclone that has reached southern Europe and will cause what meteorologists expect to be the warmest week in Italy of the whole year.
The heat wave will increase throughout the week and tomorrow the number of cities in red alert will double, with the addition to the list of Palermo (south), Frosinone, Latina and Perugia (center), while on Thursday they will be ten cities are on red alert and eight are on orange alert.
The warm air mass will reach between 28 and 30 degrees at 1,500 meters of altitude, which will cause maximums of up to 48 degrees in the south, but will also raise the thermometers to 38 degrees in cities in the center and north such as Rome, Bologna or Florence, and up to 35 in the area of the Padana plain, in the north.
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/LC2QRISUQVERHJ7BZSWJ4WYTIA.jpg "Strong heat wave hits Italy with highs of up to 48 degrees 1")
People look for a soda at the fountain in Piazza Castello on a very hot day, Milan, Italy, August 9, 2021.
This wave of high temperatures will be intense not only because of its strong heat, but also because it is expected to last at least until this Sunday, without ruling out that it will last a few more days.
The arrival of this wave is particularly worrisome because it coincides with several dozen fires that remain active in southern Italy, such as the fires in the Aspromonte area, in the Calabria region.
The Civil Protection issued this Monday a warning for the risk of fires and heat waves also in Sicily, where perceived temperatures are expected to reach 39 degrees and that will rise to 41 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.