Overview
- Forecasters project a sixth heatwave from September 4 to September 9 with daytime highs commonly 37–38°C and local peaks near 39°C in parts of the south.
- Nighttime minima are expected to remain unusually warm with widespread tropical nights above 20°C and some inland areas of Sicily and Sardinia at risk of super‑tropical nights above 25°C.
- Operational forecasts and analysts now call for a north‑Atlantic intrusion between September 9 and 11 that would likely cut temperatures by about 5–6°C and end the brief heat surge.
- The main rain phase is forecast for the same September 9–11 window with the heaviest totals on the Alps around 30–40 mm and modest accumulations of about 5–15 mm elsewhere.
- Authorities warn conditions could change as models update and that warm Mediterranean waters raise the odds of intense convective storms when cooler Atlantic air arrives, while current heat alerts cover only a few cities including Bari and Cagliari.