Italy puts nearly all cities on highest heat alert

Italy is placing nearly all of its major cities under the highest alert for heat from Monday, as a fresh heatwave grips the country, authorities said on Saturday, according to The Local Italy. Some 19 major Italian cities — including Rome, Milan and Naples — are already on red alert, and by Monday all but two will be, the BBC reported.

The red alert status signals a health risk for the general population, not just the vulnerable, and typically triggers enhanced measures in hospitals and care facilities. The heatwave follows a summer that has already seen record fire weather across the EU, with hot, dry, windy conditions 43% more severe than the average over the last 20 years, The Guardian reported.

The alert comes as firefighters race to extinguish blazes across the Mediterranean, including wildfires that have threatened France's Bordeaux wine region, CBS News reported. Three wildfires that broke out within days of each other in Spain and France this month are among the 15 largest recorded in the European Union since 2016, The Local Italy noted.