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 alert, which signals a health risk to the general population, comes as fire weather in the EU has broken records for severity for this time of year, data shows, with hot, dry and windy conditions 43% more severe than the average over the last 20 years, The Guardian reported.