Record heatwave: Palermo on red alert, six cities on orange alert.

The weather is divisive in Italy at the start of this week, with a warning for severe thunderstorms, especially in the North and South. However, today's temperatures will reach record highs. The Ministry of Health's heat bulletin for today, Tuesday, July 22nd , reflects these forecasts, with one city on a red alert, six on an orange alert, and eight on a green alert out of the 27 monitored.

Today, Palermo is under a red alert and under a maximum alert, while orange alerts are down to 6 (Campobasso, Catania, Latina, Pescara, Reggio Calabria, and Rome), while yellow alerts are up to 12 (Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Brescia, Cagliari, Civitavecchia, Frosinone, Messina, Naples, Perugia, Rieti, and Venice). Bolzano, Florence, Genoa, Milan, Turin, Trieste, Verona, and Viterbo are under a green alert.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 23 , Campobasso and Palermo will be red. No orange zones, but 15 yellow zones: Ancona, Bologna, Catania, Florence, Frosinone, Latina, Messina, Palermo, Perugia, Pescara, Reggio Calabria, Rieti, Rome, Trieste, and Venice. Green zones will be in Bari, Bolzano, Brescia, Cagliari, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Turin, Verona, and Viterbo.

Sicily remains gripped by the heat. The regional Civil Protection Department yesterday issued a warning for the risk of fires and heat waves, effective from midnight and for the next 24 hours. With the exception of the provinces of Trapani and Agrigento (where the alert will be orange), the rest of the island will be under maximum alert for fire risk. In Palermo, temperatures will therefore reach 36 degrees Celsius, with a level 3 (red) warning for the risk of heat waves.