According to a forecast published on the specialized digital site IlMeteo.it, this extreme situation, with 8.0 degrees centigrade above the seasonal average, will persist at least for the first half of July.

The meteorologist Antonio Sanó pointed out in an analysis published in that news outlet, that the vast area of high pressures which encircles much of Europe, from the Iberian peninsula to the British islands and the central region of the continent, also includes Italy, “located right in the heart of the anticyclone”.

As a direct result of this configuration, the current heat wave could exceed the levels of summer 2003, one of the worst ever recorded for its high temperatures.

The expert considered, based on the calculations made, that in the northern city of Milan thermometers could mark between 37 and 38 degrees for five consecutive days, which represents an unprecedented event in the climatic history of that city.

Sanó said that one aspect that will worsen the situation will be the absence of a “night relief”, since the heat will continue to be felt during the so-called “tropical nights”, a term that in climatology indicates minimum temperatures in those hours above 20 degrees centigrade.

oda/ort