Red Alert Reaches Umbria's Hill Towns as Heatwave Tests the Interior

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

The alert, which signals conditions that pose a risk to the whole population, not just the vulnerable, comes as temperatures across much of Italy approach or exceed those recorded during the infamous summer of 2003, as heatwaves become more frequent, The Local Italy reported.

The heat has set a national temperature record in Austria, fueled wildfires in France and disrupted energy and transportation systems across the continent, CBS News reported.