Lucifer's grip is relentless, and yesterday it brought temperatures up to 46 degrees Celsius. The thermometer stopped at 45.8, recording the highest reading in Jerzu, in the heart of Ogliastra, while in Cagliari it reached 40. Sardinia is in the throes of this fifth wave, and the wall of hot air and sand from the Sahara seems to be giving no respite. Yet, if we look at the glass half full, starting yesterday evening, with the first light mistral winds, temperatures have begun a slow decline. And while the apps we all have on our phones report apocalyptic temperatures, with peaks of up to 12 degrees above average, the experts' thermometer remains more cautious, but equally alarming: these days we're hovering 8 degrees above the thirty-year seasonal average.

The record

This is according to Lieutenant Colonel Carlo Spanu of the Italian Air Force Meteorological Service. "By the end of the summer, we'll probably be talking about the hottest summer ever," he explains. "This wave is between seven and eight degrees above the seasonal average," Spanu says. But one thing needs to be clarified immediately: "We're not talking about the entire summer, just the peak days. For the season, as of today, we can estimate a variation of two degrees, but it's still too early to tell." That may not seem like much. Yet, the expert clarifies, "it would already be a huge change for our ecosystem. Seven degrees, on the other hand, would be a tragedy."

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