Italy Hit by New Heatwave, Highest Weather Alert Level Declared in 11 Big Cities

ROME (Sputnik) – Italy has been hit with its fourth heatwave this summer, with the national Ministry of Health having declared the highest level of weather alert in 11 out of 27 of the country's biggest cities.

According to the ministry’s daily bulletin, a red level alert has been declared in Rome, Florence, Bologna, Trieste and Perugia, among others. Since the end of last week, temperatures in these cities have reached as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

😖😖😖 #caldo pic.twitter.com/mZFgUiET5i

— Don Maurizio Sarri 🇮🇹🚬 (@FabioCasalucci) August 12, 2019

​The heatwave is currently concentrated in northern and central parts of the country but is expected to reach the southern regions, including Sicily, on Tuesday.

Real-time charts of #heatwave in Italy showing dewpoints and #temperature. Standardized observations (digits) and our smooth visualization (colours).

Max dewpoints reported north, max temperatures in the central country (#Rome).
Maps: https://t.co/W1LzHxi3nZ pic.twitter.com/W1NtSj1edq

— MeteoceaEnviro (@meteocea) August 12, 2019

​Doctors are calling on people to refrain from leaving their homes and drink more water. They are also urging the elderly and those with chronic illnesses to exercise caution.

The most powerful heatwave this year was registered in Italy in late June when temperatures were the highest since the 1950s. That heatwave left three people dead.