The northern Italian city of Milan set a new record high average daily temperature of 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday as a heatwave that began in mid-August reached its height, according to the regional environmental protection agency (ARPA) on Friday.
It was the warmest day since the Milano Brera weather station began keeping records in 1763. The previous record of 32.8 C was achieved on August 11, 2003, in Milan.
As most of southern Europe burned this summer, fueling wildfires, leading governments to issue health warnings, and ruining holidays for many visitors, the Italian capital Rome set a record high of 41.8 degrees Celsius (°C) in July.
The 23rd and 24th of August were the warmest days of the summer in the whole Lombardy area that surrounds Milan, with numerous towns recording high temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, ARPA said.
Temperatures were likewise described as “intense and abnormal” in the Italian Alps.
The heatwave, according to the service, is set to cease, giving way to violent thunderstorms and a dramatic decrease in temperatures of up to 10–15 degrees Celsius early next week.
