Italy is now in its fourth heatwave of summer 2026, and forecasters say it could be the most intense one yet. The wave began building around 28 July and is forecast to peak on Thursday 30 July, with highs near 41°C in inland central Italy.
- Italy’s Health Ministry has confirmed a fourth heatwave, running from around 28 July and peaking on Thursday 30 July, with forecasts of up to 41°C in Florence and Terni and 40°C in a dozen other central-northern cities.
- As of 29 July, three cities are rated bollino rosso (red, level 3) — Campobasso, Perugia and Rieti. The list is set to grow on 30 July to include Bologna, Modena and Ferrara as the wave peaks.
- Ten cities are on orange alert on 29 July, including Rome, Florence and Turin, while fifteen more, including Milan, Naples and Venice, are on yellow alert. Only Cagliari remains green.
- This follows three earlier heatwaves since June, the most extreme of which hit 48.4°C at Casteltermini in Sicily on 18 July. Some meteorologists say 2026 could rival 2003 for the most intense summer on record in central and northern Italy.
- Travellers should reschedule sightseeing to early morning or evening, hydrate constantly, and check the official alerts daily, since the red-alert list is expanding again as this new wave builds.
How hot is the Italy heatwave right now, and where?
Italy’s fourth heatwave of the summer is intensifying, with the Health Ministry bulletin forecasting a peak on Thursday 30 July. Meteorologists expect highs of 41°C in Florence and Terni, with 40°C also likely in Alessandria, Asti, Benevento, Cremona, Ferrara, Lodi, Mantova, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Prato and Reggio Emilia.
This is the second major wave in two weeks. The third heatwave produced the summer’s most extreme single reading so far — 48.4°C at Casteltermini in Sicily and 47.3°C at Muravera in Sardinia on 18 July, according to Italy’s regional weather services SIAS and ARPAS — before easing around 24 July.
Nights have offered little relief across all four waves. Minimum temperatures have stayed above 24 to 25°C in many cities, producing so-called “tropical nights” that stop the body from cooling down and worsen sleep.
The heat has stretched infrastructure too. Turin reported repeated blackouts as grid cables overheated during earlier waves, and northern Italy’s Po Valley traps humid air that pushes the “feels-like” temperature even higher.
- For a fuller month-by-month picture of the season, see our guide to Italy summer weather.
- Italy is one front of a much wider event covered in our Europe heatwave guide.
Italy’s red-dot heat alert system (bollino rosso), explained
Italy runs one of Europe’s clearest public heat-warning systems, and it is what tells you whether a city is genuinely dangerous today. The Ministry of Health issues a daily heat bulletin, the “bollettino ondate di calore”, for 27 cities, with forecasts 24, 48 and 72 hours ahead, updated Monday to Friday from 11am, and published from 25 May to 20 September 2026.
Each city gets a coloured dot (“bollino”) on a four-level scale:
When many cities hit red at once, as they have in each of this summer’s four waves, the health system, transport and buildings are all under strain together. You can check the live picture on the Ministry’s “Caldo e Salute” (Heat and Health) portal and app, and Italy’s civil protection department publishes matching weather warnings.
Which Italian cities are under a red heat alert?
As of 29 July, three cities are rated bollino rosso: Campobasso, Perugia and Rieti. That list is forecast to expand on 30 July, the wave’s peak day, to include Bologna, Modena and Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna as well.
Ten cities are on orange alert on 29 July: Bolzano, Civitavecchia, Florence, Frosinone, Latina, Perugia, Rieti, Rome, Turin and Viterbo. A further fifteen, including Milan, Naples, Venice, Palermo, Catania and Reggio Calabria, are on yellow alert, with only Cagliari remaining green.
Heat levels in Italy’s top tourist cities
Every major city has been touched by this new wave, though the sharpest heat is falling on central Italy and the Po Valley. Here is each city’s status as of 29 July 2026, ahead of Thursday’s forecast peak — always check the official bulletin before you head out.
Bollino arancione
Watch: orange today; no confirmed date yet for a drop back to yellow or green
Bollino giallo
Watch: pre-alert (yellow) on 29 July; monitor as the peak approaches Thursday
Bollino arancione
Watch: orange today, likely to turn red as the peak arrives
Bollino giallo, turning rosso 30 July
Watch: yellow on 29 July, forecast to reach bollino rosso as the wave peaks
Bollino giallo
Watch: high humidity typically makes conditions feel worse here than the number alone suggests
Bollino arancione
Watch: earlier heat-related power outages have not recurred yet, but the grid remains under strain in the region
Health risks and who is most at risk
Extreme heat has been dangerous all summer, and the toll has continued to climb with each new wave. The World Health Organization linked more than 1,300 excess deaths across Europe to the heat since 21 June, and by mid-to-late July some Italian outlets were citing epidemiologists’ estimates running into the thousands across Europe for the summer as a whole, though exact cumulative figures vary by source and methodology.
In Italy specifically, the heat has driven emergency-room visits and, in the worst cases, deaths, including three elderly people in Puglia’s Lecce province on 20 July whose deaths were suspected to be heat-related. Health authorities have repeatedly stressed that the impact is cumulative, since this fourth wave is arriving on a population that has already been through three earlier spells of intense heat since June.
The people most at risk are:
- Adults over 65, and anyone with heart, lung, kidney or neurological conditions.
- Babies and young children.
- Pregnant travellers.
- People taking certain medications, and anyone doing strenuous activity outdoors.
Italy has reinforced its response through all four heatwaves. The Ministry of Health has kept its heat guidelines active and runs a public helpline (1500) that has fielded a surge of calls, including many about cardiovascular and psychological distress.
Emergency departments have activated a fast-track “heat code” pathway for suspected heatstroke. Warning signs of heat exhaustion or heatstroke include dizziness, headache, nausea, a fast pulse, confusion, and skin that is hot and dry or clammy — if someone stops sweating, becomes confused or collapses, call the European emergency number 112 immediately.
Your heat-safety checklist for Italy
Simple habits make a large difference in this kind of heat. Build your day around the cooler hours, and treat the checklist below as your daily routine, not a one-off, especially as this fourth wave peaks.
How the heatwave affects flights, trains and attractions
The heat reaches your itinerary in a few ways, and most are manageable with a bit of planning. Here’s what to expect:
- Attraction hours: some sites adjusted hours or admissions during the hottest stretches of earlier heatwaves, including brief limits at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. Most run normal schedules between waves, but it is worth checking the official site before you go, especially around Thursday’s peak.
- Outdoor work bans: several regions, including Lombardy, Lazio, Tuscany, Piedmont, Puglia, Liguria and Calabria, have banned outdoor work in the hottest hours (for example, Lombardy from 12:30 to 16:00) on days rated high risk. Expect Emilia-Romagna to introduce similar restrictions as Bologna, Modena and Ferrara turn red on 30 July.
- Rail and roads: extreme heat can buckle tracks and force speed restrictions, which sometimes delay trains. Build buffer time between connections and check your operator’s app on travel days, especially around the Thursday peak.
- Flights: major delays specific to the heat have been limited so far, but keep an eye on your airline, such as ITA Airways, for updates as the fourth wave peaks.
What travellers should do now
Italy’s fourth heatwave of the summer is still building toward a Thursday 30 July peak, and forecasters say it could be the most intense of the season so far. You can still enjoy Italy in the meantime with a few adjustments: front-load outdoor sightseeing into the morning, and keep afternoons for air-conditioned museums, long lunches, or a siesta.
Treat hydration as non-negotiable, and watch the daily bollino for your city, since the red-alert list is expanding again as this wave peaks. Travel insurance that covers weather and storm disruption is worth checking before you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hot is Italy during the 2026 heatwave?
Italy is now on its fourth heatwave since June 2026, forecast to peak on Thursday 30 July with highs of 41°C in Florence and Terni and 40°C in a dozen other central-northern cities. The single hottest reading of the summer so far was 48.4°C at Casteltermini in Sicily on 18 July, and nights have often stayed above 24°C throughout.
What does a red alert (bollino rosso) mean in Italy?
Bollino rosso is level 3, the highest on Italy’s Health Ministry heat scale. It signals very high temperatures, often with high humidity, that pose a health risk to everyone, including otherwise healthy people. It is a signal to limit outdoor exposure and check on vulnerable people.
Which Italian cities are under a red heat alert?
As of 29 July, three cities are rated red — Campobasso, Perugia and Rieti — and the list is forecast to grow on 30 July to include Bologna, Modena and Ferrara as this fourth heatwave peaks. Always check the current Health Ministry bulletin before you head out, since the list changes daily.
Is it safe to travel to Italy right now?
Yes, with sensible precautions, even as this fourth heatwave builds toward its Thursday 30 July peak. Reschedule activity to the cooler hours, hydrate, dress lightly, seek air conditioning at midday, and follow the daily alerts closely as the red-alert list expands.
Will the Italy heatwave end soon?
Not immediately — this fourth wave is still intensifying and is forecast to peak on Thursday 30 July before any easing. Three earlier heatwaves this summer each broke before new heat rebuilt within days, so it is worth checking the forecast close to your travel dates rather than assuming this one is the last.
Are attractions like the Colosseum closed because of the heat?
Most major sites have stayed open throughout the summer, though some adjusted hours or admissions during the hottest stretches, including brief limits at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. Open-air sites such as the Colosseum remain open but are hottest at midday, so book an early-morning or late-afternoon slot.
Plan a cooler, smarter trip to Italy
The 2026 Italy heatwave has now come in four separate spells, and it is manageable with the right timing and habits. Sightsee early, rest through the hottest hours, and hydrate hard, letting the daily red-dot alerts shape your day, especially while this fourth wave peaks toward Thursday.
When you are ready to plan, compare flights to Italy and find air-conditioned hotels in Italy on Wego, and search hotels in Rome for a cool base in the capital.
Sources
- Il Giornale d’Italia — Caldo, quarta ondata in arrivo sull’Italia: picchi fino a 41°, Campobasso oggi in rosso, domani 10 città in arancione (29 July status, red/orange city lists)
- greenMe — Caldo, da oggi la quarta ondata, “la peggiore dell’estate” (fourth-wave forecast, 40-41°C city list, Thursday 30 July peak)
- Leggo — Caldo africano, arriva la quarta ondata: escalation termica fino a 41°C (29 July forecast detail, possible 2003-level intensity)
- Il Resto del Carlino — Caldo da bollino rosso, in arrivo giorni di fuoco in Emilia Romagna (Bologna, Modena, Ferrara red alert forecast for 30 July)
- Umbria24 — Caldo: Perugia da giovedì con il bollino rosso (Perugia/Rieti red-alert confirmation)
- Ministero della Salute — Bollettini sulle ondate di calore (official daily bulletin system, 27 monitored cities, 25 May–20 September 2026)
- The Local Italy — Italy braces for new heatwave with temperatures to hit 42C (confirms this is the third heatwave since end of May; cumulative health-impact context)
- La Sicilia — Quindici stazioni oltre i 45 gradi e un record di 48,4°C (SIAS station record at Casteltermini, 18 July)
- Al Jazeera — Deadly heatwave grips Italy and Balkans as wildfire fears grow (WHO’s 1,300+ excess-death figure since 21 June; Bologna’s 40.1°C reading)
- TheSocialPost — Caldo record in Italia, 103 morti in più in 20 città (city-level excess-mortality data, Turin +35%)
- IR Global — Ban on working during the hottest hours: the 2026 rules for each region (regional outdoor-work bans, including Lombardy 12:30–16:00, on high-risk days)
- UK FCDO — Italy travel advice: safety and security (extreme weather guidance; check European meteorological warnings)
Disclaimer: Wego strives to ensure all information presented in this article is accurate and up to date at the time of publication. Travel policies, prices, visa requirements, and conditions can change rapidly. We strongly recommend verifying critical details with official sources before making travel decisions. Wego does not accept liability for any inaccuracies, oversights, or changes that may occur after publication.
