by Guisela Chiarella
An oppressive heat wave has gripped the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, sending temperatures soaring and sea water readings to their highest levels in nearly three decades. The intense heat has prompted a red alert for the regional capital, Trieste, marking it among the hottest cities in Italy.
The weekend promises a brief respite, with forecasts from Arpa Osmer Fvg predicting severe thunderstorms and potential hail, especially in the mountainous areas. These storms are expected to provide some relief by lowering the mercury, but their intensity could pose new risks, reminiscent of last year’s violent weather events.
The Ministry of Health’s latest bulletin on heat waves underscores the severity of the situation. On Friday, July 19, seventeen cities will be on red alert—alert level 3, the highest of its kind—out of the 27 monitored. Alongside Trieste, cities such as Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, Campobasso, Florence, Frosinone, Latina, Palermo, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Rome, Verona, and Viterbo are also bracing for the extreme heat.
The Ministry of Health’s daily updates, analyzed by the “OnData” group, illustrate the widespread impact of the heat wave with varying levels of regional alerts displayed on their maps.
This summer’s heat is unprecedented, confirmed by long-term data. The sea temperatures in the Gulf of Trieste have reached their highest since records began 28 years ago. Between July 14 and 15, the water nearly hit 30 degrees Celsius, and currently hovers around 29 degrees. For context, last July, the Trieste-molo Fratelli Bandiera station recorded sea temperatures of 24.5 degrees in early July, rising to 26.8 degrees mid-month, and settling at 26.3 degrees later. Even those figures were about one and a half degrees above average.
Data from Arpa Fvg, spanning from 1996 to 2023, typically show sea temperatures around 24-25 degrees at this time of year, emphasizing the extraordinary nature of this summer’s heat.
