The health ministry has said the
number of big cities on red alert over the current heat wave
that Italy is enduring is set to rise from 19 on Thursday and
Friday to 22 on Saturday.
When a city is on red alert it means the ministry sees the heat
as a threat to the whole population, not just groups of people
considered fragile.
The 22 cities are: Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia,
Cagliari, Campobasso, Catania, Civitavecchia, Florence,
Frosinone, Latina, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, Pescara,
Reggio Calabria, Rieti, Rome, Trieste and Viterbo.
The heat wave that has pushed temperatures well above the
seasonal average, with thermometers hitting peaks of 40°C.
It is the latest in series to have already hit Italy this year
even though summer has only just begun.
The current heat wave has exacerbated the nation's drought
crisis that comes after months of low rainfall and an extremely
dry winter.
Italy's civil protection department has failed to rule out water
rationing during the day because of the drought, which is
causing massive problems for agriculture.
More frequent and intense heat waves are among the consequences
of human-caused climate change, scientists say.
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