Alpine glaciers face record melt as Italy's heatwave reaches the peaks

Italy is to place all of its 27 major cities, from Trieste in the north to Palermo in the south, under the highest heat alert as the fourth heatwave to hit the country this summer intensifies, according to the Guardian. Temperatures are edging close to 40C in some areas, the newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The red alert, which signals a health risk for the entire population, comes as Europe endures a broader heatwave that has set a national temperature record in Austria, fueled wildfires in France and disrupted energy and transportation systems across the continent, CBS News reported.

For the Valle d'Aosta, the heat is not merely a summer discomfort — it is an existential threat to the high-mountain environment that defines this region. The Alps, which rise above Aosta to peaks exceeding 4,800 metres, are losing their permanent ice at a pace that has accelerated sharply in recent decades.