Italy faces multirisk heatwave with thunderstorms and fire danger across regions

Regional civil protection authorities have issued yellow alerts for a combination of extreme heat, thunderstorms and fire risk in several Italian areas.

In Sardinia, temperatures topped 40 °C with night‑time lows near 24 °C. Strong gusts up to 70 km/h and localized showers delivering over 40 mm of rain in hours have prompted a “multirisk” warning. The fire‑danger bulletin rates conditions as medium (yellow) across most of the island. Mauro Merella, director general of the regional civil protection, urged mayors and citizens not to underestimate the yellow code, stating that “yellow does not mean the phenomena are mild, only that they are localized.”

Sicily also received a yellow alert for meteorological‑hydrogeological risk, focusing on the interior and mountainous zones where isolated, possibly intense thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon. Temperatures remain slightly above seasonal averages.

Liguria’s forecast highlights daytime highs of 27‑34 °C and “elevated physiological discomfort” due to heat, with occasional isolated thunderstorms over inland hills.

Lombardy (Bergamo area) expects scattered thunderstorms on alpine and pre‑alpine slopes, while heat remains intense (35‑37 °C) with noticeable nighttime discomfort in urban centers.

A nationwide forecast for 26 June shows a dominant subtropical high pressure system over the peninsula, producing very hot conditions in the centre, south and the islands, and potential strong thunderstorms on the Alpine relief. The combination of heat, humidity and localized storms poses significant health and safety challenges across Italy.