ROME, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Italy is grappling with its third major heatwave of the summer, with soaring temperatures triggering nationwide health alerts, fueling wildfires and prompting authorities to step up emergency measures as scientists warn that climate change is intensifying extreme weather.
On Tuesday, the Italian Health Ministry placed 18 major cities, including Rome, Florence, Naples, Palermo and Catania, under its highest-level "red alert" for extreme heat.
The warning indicates conditions that pose health risks not only to vulnerable groups but also to healthy people exposed to prolonged high temperatures. While temperatures are expected to ease in parts of the country later this week, southern regions are forecast to remain under intense heat.
The prolonged hot and dry conditions have sharply increased wildfire risks, particularly in southern Italy.
In Sicily, more than 100 residents were evacuated after a wildfire threatened the town of Santo Stefano Quisquina near Agrigento. Strong sirocco winds fueled the blaze, endangering an oxygen storage facility, a medical clinic, a fuel station and a fireworks factory. "The situation is dramatic," Mayor Francesco Cacciatore said, urging residents in affected areas to evacuate.
The wildfire also forced the temporary closure of part of the Corleonese-Agrigentina state highway, while another blaze burned through Mediterranean vegetation near Agrigento overnight.
Scientists say longer droughts, rising temperatures and stronger winds associated with climate change have substantially increased the frequency and intensity of wildfires, which have become an increasingly common feature of Italian summers.
The latest heatwave has also increased pressure on agriculture, with farmers reporting growing concerns over water shortages, heat stress on livestock and declining crop yields.
The Italian government has stepped up nationwide emergency measures to reduce health risks.
The Health Ministry has activated its national heat emergency plan, continued issuing daily heat bulletins covering 27 major cities, and coordinated with regional authorities and the Civil Protection Department. Authorities have also advised people to avoid outdoor activities during the hottest hours, stay hydrated, and check on elderly relatives and neighbors.
Several regions have maintained restrictions on outdoor work in sectors such as construction and agriculture during the hottest part of the day. Italy also continues to use the Worklimate early-warning system, jointly developed by the National Research Council (CNR) and the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL), to help protect workers from heat stress.
Massimiliano Pasqui, a senior researcher at the Institute for BioEconomy of the National Research Council, told local media that the current heatwave is being driven by a persistent "omega" high-pressure pattern that traps hot air from North Africa over Italy for several days.
He said such prolonged heatwaves are becoming more frequent as global temperatures rise, increasing the risks of drought, wildfires and health emergencies.
Scientists say that although heatwaves are a familiar feature of Mediterranean summers, climate change is making them more frequent, longer-lasting and more intense, underscoring the need for stronger emergency preparedness and long-term climate adaptation measures.
