Trieste on Red Alert as Italy's Heatwave Smashes Records

Italy's health ministry placed 27 cities, from Trieste in the country's 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 for Trieste, the capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, underscores how the heat is no longer just a southern Italian problem. Temperatures across much of Italy are approaching or exceeding those recorded during the infamous summer of 2003, as heatwaves become more frequent, The Local Italy reported.

For a city accustomed to the bora wind's chill, the sustained heat poses unusual challenges. Trieste's Mediterranean coastline, usually a refuge from continental heat, now offers little relief as nighttime temperatures fail to drop.