The temperatures of 48 degrees in Sardinia and the "giant" hailstones that fell near Pordeone, as well as the disastrous flood in Romagna last May "are all manifestations of climate change" . This was underlined by the climatologist Luca Mercalli , president of the Italian Meteorological Society (Smi), taking stock of the weather situation in recent days.

After a July of "extreme" events, Mercalli explains, the weather should return to normal for the season in August.

In the first 7 days of August the maximum temperatures will fluctuate between 31 and 33 degrees in the North, while in the South the thermometer will remain below 40 degrees.

The climatologist also specifies that «the African anticyclone that kept Italy under a heat cap for 15 days has withdrawn from where it came from. And at the moment no further heat waves are foreseen within the first week of August ».

The extreme heat of the past few weeks, as well as the violent hailstorms in Northern Italy, would be attributable, as mentioned, to climate change: "If there hadn't been global warming, we would have had these phenomena anyway, but they would have been much less intense and frequent".

Meanwhile, the maximum temperatures on the island remain close to 40 degrees. Record for the day, according to Arpas surveys, for Ottana (38.6) and Orani (38.4).

For Sunday there are 10 cities with the orange sticker (high temperatures and conditions that can have negative effects for frail people, the elderly and children) from the Ministry of Health: these are Cagliari , Perugia, Bari, Bologna, Campobasso, Catania , Palermo, Pescara, Rieti, Rome.

Also for Sunday 30 July, in Sardinia - and in particular in the Cagliari area - the regional civil protection also confirmed the "High" fire danger.

(Unioneonline/lf)

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