Italy’s northern city of Milan registered a new record high average daily temperature of 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday as a heatwave which began around mid-August reached its peak, the regional environmental protection agency (ARPA) said on Friday.
It was the hottest day since the Milano Brera weather station started recording temperatures in 1763. Milan’s previous record of 32.8 C was set on Aug. 11, 2003.
The Italian capital Rome registered a record peak of 41.8 Celsius (°C) in July, as much of southern Europe broiled this summer, fuelling wildfires, prompting governments to issue health warnings, and disrupting holidays for many tourists.
ARPA said in a statement that Aug. 23 and 24 have been the hottest days of the summer across the whole of the Lombardy region which surrounds Milan, with several towns registering peak temperatures above 40 C.
It added that “intense and abnormal” temperatures also hit the Italian Alps.
The heatwave is about to end though, the agency said, giving way to heavy thunderstorms and a sharp drop in temperatures of up to 10-15 C early next week.
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