Red alerts across Italy as heatwave tests the Po Valley

Italy's health ministry has placed 27 cities from Trieste in the northeast to Palermo in Sicily on red alert ahead of the weekend, France 24 reported on Friday, as a blistering heatwave across much of Europe toppled temperature records and disrupted energy and transportation systems in several countries.

The alerts come as temperatures across much of Italy approach or exceed those recorded during the infamous summer of 2003, according to The Local Italy, as heatwaves become more frequent. The current heat has already set a national temperature record in Austria, fueled wildfires in France and disrupted energy and transportation systems across the continent, CBS News reported.