Hot, the expert: "We are 7-8°C above the climatic averages for the end of June"

Gussoni (ilMeteo.it): "Peak coming then watch out for extreme events"

Scorching cities from North to South with highs between 36-40°C until Saturday. The record and anomalous heat gives no respite and in the grip are especially the large urban centers that suffer from high temperatures both day and night. A trend that records 7-8 degrees more than the climatic average of the end of June of the period 1991-2020 .

What's happening

"In this last week we are about 7-8°C above the climatic averages that we usually record at the end of June - explains to Adnkronos Mattia Gussoni, meteorologist at ilMeteo.it - ​​The regions of Central and Northern Italy are particularly affected. It has also been very hot in the South but with more limited anomalies. In Rome and Florence we have reached 39-40°C in these last few days, these are very high values ​​while Milan has stopped at around 37-38°C: exceptional temperatures comparable only to the infamous summer of 2003".

The tropical nights

"Another significant element is tropical nights - he adds - This term refers to those nights in which the temperature does not drop below 20°C even after sunset. It was something that happened very few times a year until the 90s and now instead they are increasingly frequent".

The causes

The expansion of the African anticyclone is causing this heat wave. "This area of ​​high pressure from North Africa has moved north, encompassing the entire Mediterranean basin and reaching the heart of Europe. We are talking about air masses of subtropical origin because they come directly from the Sahara desert, therefore from the inland areas of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco", explains Gussoni.

The forecasts

And the forecasts do not bode well with temperatures still high and the risk of extreme events. Between today and tomorrow "we will probably reach the peak of this heat wave. Then the attention will shift to extreme weather events because with the heat the potential energy in play increases, because with the increase in temperatures the evaporation of our seas increases which is the energy that storms feed on. So, between Saturday and Sunday, due to the passage of cooler air descending from northern Europe, which will interact with this pre-existing heat, we will have the risk of strong storms especially in the northern regions. And unfortunately, the risk of ruinous hailstorms will also increase. They are two sides of the same coin: the heat increases and the risk of extreme weather events also increases", warns the expert.

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