Extreme heat strikes Italy

YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS. Temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) are being recorded all over Italy, bringing many regions to their knees. As Armenpress reports citing “pangeatoday.com,” blackouts have been reported in Milan as the city turns on its air-conditioning – a still relatively “new” means of dealing with the heat – that emerged largely after another record breaker in 2003.

Last Thursday night was the hottest on record since 1850 in Bolzano. Repair men have been working around the clock to reinstate stop lights caused by the blackouts. Numerous calls were received by emergency services for people stuckin elevators. Italy has a code system to measure the threat from the heat and there are currently 14 regions (out of a total of 20) that are at Code 3, the highest level.

The number of regions in Code 3 should be cut in half by Thursday when temperatures are expected to go down a bit. Florence, Rome, and Perugia are in the list of seven cities affected most by the extreme weather. Italians are used to hot summers but this year is also breaking records for high temps at night, leaving residents desperate, as they struggle to sleep in 30 degrees Celsius (86F).