the heat map and the date of the “first stop” –

A hot weather phase that takes us up to Ferragosto, but a possible date emerges for the end of the extreme heat. “The intense heat wave fueled by the strengthening of the subtropical promontory has now reached its peak in large European sectors”, confirms the meteorologist of 3bmeteo.com Andrea Bonina who explains: “The contribution of the subsidence impressed by the maximums of the anticyclone is added to the torrid air masses that originate from North Africa. The meteorological data of the last 48 hours are eloquent: if on Sunday the freezing level exceeded 5200 meters above the vertical of the Alps, today peaks of 41 ° C are observed in Florence, in some valleys of Umbria-Marche and in Sardinia, over 39-40 ° C in Ravenna, Verona and Rovigo and in the provinces of Frosinone and Benevento, 38 ° C in Bologna and up to 36-37 ° C in Rome and Milan. As evidence of the extent and magnitude of the anomalies on a continental scale, the 43°C recorded in some locations in France and the over 20°C in the Svalbard Islands, in the Norwegian Arctic, which are an absolute record for the month of August, take on an exceptional character beyond the Alps”.

UNTIL AUGUST 15TH – “In the next few days, the dominance of the anticyclone over the Mediterranean will be marginally disturbed by infiltrations of cooler and more humid air of Atlantic origin at high altitudes in the troposphere” – warns Bonina – “In Italy, the meteorological context will remain marked by sun and intense heat in the plains and coastal areas, while in the Alps, Prealps and Apennines there may be some brief and sudden thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon hours. Temperatures, although slightly decreasing, will remain 3 to 6°C above seasonal averages: still muggy and high levels of bioclimatic discomfort in large population centers and along the coasts affected by sea breezes, while in the inland areas, scorching heat will prevail with thermal peaks widely between 35 and 38°C. The trend of tropical nights (characterized, by definition, by temperatures constantly above the 20°C threshold, ed.) will continue in the Po Valley and in the Center-South”.

NEWS AFTER THE 15TH – “The interference of Atlantic currents will show itself to be increasing in the second part of the week. The days of August 15 and 16 will most likely be affected by the transit of stratiform cloudiness and occasional showers passing over Piedmont, Liguria, the upper Tyrrhenian Sea and Sardinia; furthermore, some heat storms will still be possible in the Alpine sectors. Following this, during the next weekend, a first important stop to the African heatwave could materialize with a significant drop in temperatures to values ​​more in line with the norm and the return of conditions of atmospheric instability starting from the Center-North. A trend line that needs confirmation, with timing and effects still to be defined in the next updates”, conclude the experts.