Red alerts for 25 Italian cities as Mediterranean heatwave disrupts region
Italy is placing 25 major cities on its highest heat alert as a North African weather system triggers widespread public health risks and forces mass evacuations across southern Europe.
Italy has placed 19 major cities, including Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples, on the highest "red" heat alert, with 25 of its 27 main cities expected to reach this level by Monday. The Italian health ministry warns that the extreme heat poses a direct risk not just to vulnerable groups like the elderly, the very young and the chronically ill, but to entirely healthy and active individuals. Only Reggio Calabria and Messina are expected to escape the top-level warning, remaining on the second-highest "amber" alert.
A strengthening subtropical anticyclone originating from North Africa is driving temperatures into the mid-30s Celsius across Italy. In response, authorities are urging residents in all affected zones to stay indoors during the hottest hours between 11:00 and 18:00, avoid direct sunlight entirely, and drink plenty of fluids.
Wildfires force mass cross-border evacuations
The Italian alerts coincide with devastating wildfire outbreaks across multiple European nations. In France, 2,500 people were evacuated from the south-eastern Var region on Friday evening after a blaze that had been contained for several days suddenly reignited. However, 200,000 evacuated residents have now been able to return to their homes in the south-western Gironde region, where a massive fire is finally under control.
In Greece, hundreds of people—mostly tourists—have had to be evacuated by sea from the coastal town of Viotia after being hemmed in by raging wildfires. Spain has recorded more than 200,000 hectares of burnt land in 2026, which is roughly five times above the average by this point in the year. EU data shows that burnt land in Portugal is also higher than usual.
For European public life and economic stability, these successive heatwaves represent a systemic shock. The Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average. This trajectory is driving more intense wildfires, greater pressure on Europe's water supply, and increasingly severe disruptions to communities and businesses.
