Shafaqna Pakistan: Italy experienced its hottest summer since 1950 this year, with the average temperature reaching 24.3°C (75.7°F), according to the National Research Council’s Institute for BioEconomy (CNR-IBE).
August was the hottest month, recording an average temperature of 25.6°C — 5.2°C above the 1951-1980 average and 3.5°C higher than the 1991-2020 norm, the institute said. The figures were based on measurements taken two metres above ground level.
CNR-IBE researcher Lorenzo Arcidiaco said the August average surpassed previous records of 24.6°C set in 2024 and 24.0°C recorded in August 2017.
Arcidiaco said the data pointed to 2026 ending as Italy’s hottest year since the data he worked on was first collected in 1950, with July and August both ranking as the warmest on record.
The CNR is Italy’s largest public research institution.
Large parts of Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, endured sweltering summers, with drought and wildfires a growing problem. Britain had its hottest summer since records began.
The areas of Italy most affected were concentrated in northwestern lowlands and along the Apennines, many of them agricultural regions where higher temperatures and drought conditions have put pressure on farming activity.
Separate analyses of weather data showed that major cities such as Rome, Florence and Turin were all hit by repeated heatwaves in June, July and August.
