Italy exceeds Maghreb (i.e. northern Africa west of Egypt) for heat and heat. No metaphors: today 12 August, with the anticyclone Caronte in full expansion, Milan and Rome record higher temperatures than algiers, Tunis and even Rabat. And the worst has yet to arrive: on Wednesday 13 there will be 16 cities at the highest level of health alert.
According to the Bulletin of the Ministry of Health, we will pass from the 11 Red Bollini today to the 16 scheduled tomorrow, on 27 cities monitored. Among those constantly in red for three consecutive days include Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, Florence, Frosinone, Latina and Turin. To these are added today Milan, Perugia, Rieti and Rome; Campobasso, Genoa, Venice, Verona and Viterbo will also enter Wednesday. The orange sticker of Trieste and the yellow one of Naples, Palermo, Civitavecchia, Ancona do not change the picture: the whole of Italy is close in the grip of heat and humidity.
The data collected by ilmeteo.it show impressive differences compared to North Africa. “In Milan, in the last three days, minimum of 27 ° C and maxims of 37 ° C, almost” super -supported values “have been recorded”, explains Lorenzo Theodes, meteorologist and average manager of the head. In Rome, minimum of 23-24 ° C and maximum of 36-38 ° C. In Algiers and Tunis, however, minimal on 21 ° C and maxims of 34 ° C; In Rabat, thanks to the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, it is difficult to overcome 33 ° C.
The reason for this anomaly is the expansion towards north-east of the anticyclone Caronte, a high pressure “domineering dome” that extends from the Sahara extends over France and central-northern Italy. This meteorological scheme, according to Gueen, is bringing values close to those of August 2003, considered at the time an unrepeatable event for at least a century. Yet, in the last 22 years, heat waves of similar or higher intensity have been repeated, tangible sign of global warming.
When the truce arrives
The forecasts indicate that until Saturday 16 August the heat will remain intense, with minimums on 25 ° C and maxims of 38-39 ° C, and local peaks up to 41-42 ° C. Paradoxically, it will make warmer in the center-north than in the South. Between Sunday 17 and Wednesday 20, a slight attenuation is expected: minimum on 23-24 ° C and maximum of 35-36 ° C, however well beyond the seasonal average. Then, according to the current models, in the week between 23 and 24 August an even more oppressive phase could return, with the “couple” 27 °/40 ° which would make our cities even more hot than the Maghreb.
For those who live in urban areas, the risk does not only concern physical discomfort but also health, in particular of the elderly, children and people with chronic pathologies. The so -called “tropical nights” (which record temperatures above 20 ° C) prevent the body from cooling off and increase the risk of heat strokes. Experts advise to limit outdoor activities in the central hours, maintain constant hydration and privilege fresh and ventilated environments.
The data that emerges from this heat wave is double: on the one hand the exceptionality of cities such as Milan which, despite hundreds of kilometers from the Sahara, recorded night minimums comparable to those of tropical areas; on the other, the normalization of events that were once extraordinary. With an August that is increasingly resembled an oven, Italy is facing not only a meteorological challenge, but also a test of climatic adaptation.
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