An intense heat wave is affecting Italy, with red alerts issued for sixteen cities. Meanwhile, severe storms have struck Northern Italy, causing damage and one fatality.

In Bomporto, in the province of Modena, a person lost their life after their car collided with an oncoming vehicle during the storm. The nubifragi hit several regions: in Piedmont, particularly the Turin area, Val di Susa and Val Chisone, hailstones with a diameter of 9 centimetres were recorded. Alto Adige was hit the previous evening, with fifty fire department interventions. The storms then extended to the Triveneto and Emilia-Romagna regions, where wind gusts exceeded 100 km/h. A tornado was reported in the Bergamo area, while in Milan the Region issued an orange alert for storms and strong winds, in effect through Thursday. The municipal authorities advised residents to stay away from parks, wooded areas, scaffolding, and outdoor structures.

Minister of Health Schillaci urged citizens to avoid going outdoors during the hottest hours of the day.

According to climatologist Massimiliano Fazzini of the University of Camerino, cited by the press, the anticyclone's axis is currently oriented from southwest to northeast rather than along the traditional south-north direction, which has kept Italy at the margins of the hottest air flow, concentrated instead over France and Spain. France reportedly reached record temperatures of 43-44 degrees. Fazzini described the current heat wave as having anomalous components but dismissed predictions of 50 degrees in the coming days as unfounded speculation.

Forecasts indicate a further temperature increase between Sardinia and Puglia, with internal areas of Sardinia potentially reaching 45 degrees. In the North and along the Adriatic side, between Sunday July 19 and Monday July 20, an Arctic air flow could cause temperatures to drop by up to 15 degrees. The clash between different air masses could trigger local hailstorms with large-diameter hailstones. According to Fazzini, temperatures are likely to rise again after the passage of the cold front.