Italy's 27 major cities on red alert as fourth heatwave 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, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.

The red alert, the most severe level in Italy's heat warning system, comes as temperatures in some areas edge close to 40C. The measure affects every major urban centre across the country, signalling the breadth of the heat event rather than a regional pocket of extreme conditions.

For Emilia-Romagna, the alert carries particular weight. The region's capital, Bologna, sits on the Po plain, where humid continental climate and dense urban fabric combine to trap heat, and where the productive economy — from food processing to packaging machinery — depends on workers labouring through the summer months.