Over the weekend, Italy experienced a devastating heatwave that claimed at least five lives, according to reports from local authorities and media on Monday.
In the southern Apulia region, four individuals aged between 70 and 82 succumbed to the extreme heat while seeking relief on the beach, as reported by the ANSA news agency. Apulia has been particularly hard-hit by the intense weather. In response, local authorities issued an ordinance on July 10, halting construction and garden center work during the afternoon until August 31.
The fifth fatality occurred in central Lazio, the region encompassing Rome. A 68-year-old man was found deceased in a suburb of the capital, likely due to a heat-induced heart attack, as reported by the news agency.
Health officials in Lazio, in coordination with the Health Ministry, issued a red hot-weather warning for all five provinces in the region, including Rome, which extends through July 17. Simultaneously, the Health Ministry declared a red alert for 12 cities from July 15-17. Italy’s four-tier alert system designates a red alert as indicating a health risk that affects the entire population, not just vulnerable groups.
The severe heatwave has also sparked widespread wildfires across Lazio, Apulia, southern Calabria, and Sicily. The Civic Protection Department reported 19 emergency operations using water-dropping planes on July 14, with an additional 16 on July 12.
Given the hazards posed by heatwaves, especially to its aging population, Italy’s Health Ministry has maintained a National Heat Plan since 2004. This year, the plan was activated on May 20 and will stay in effect until September 15, offering daily bulletins that include heatwave risk forecasts for 27 cities over the next 24, 48, and 72 hours.
According to Coldiretti, an Italian farmers’ association, and based on data from the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC-Cnr), the first half of 2024 has been the hottest on record in Italy, with temperatures averaging 1.47 degrees Celsius above the historical norm, as reported by Il Sole 24 Ore on Sunday
