Heatwave in Italy and Balkans triggers red alerts and excess deaths

A record-breaking heatwave that began on June 20 has placed 22 Italian cities under red warnings and produced at least 1,300 excess deaths across Europe. Italian authorities issued the warnings on Monday for locations from Bolzano in the north to Palermo in Sicily. Croatia's weather service issued similar red alerts for Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik.

Wildfires and regional conditions Firefighters on the Adriatic island of Vis used four aircraft to battle a blaze 55 kilometers southwest of Split. In Albania, crews contained a wildfire near the village of Klos. Temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius are forecast across parts of Croatia, Serbia, Romania, and Hungary.

At the Vatican, pilgrims used fans and umbrellas during Pope Leo's Angelus address.

Forecasts and health impact Italian Air Force meteorologist Daniele Mocio said current temperatures are expected to persist for several more days. Italian Meteorological Society president Luca Mercalli told Reuters another surge of hot weather is forecast after July 5 for France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and parts of Britain.

The World Health Organization reported 1,300 excess deaths continent-wide since June 21. France recorded 1,000 of those deaths, most among older people, and its public health agency warned the total is likely to rise. Scientists stated the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, which has made extreme night-time temperatures 100 times more likely than two decades ago.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X that Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating at twice the global average.