Italy records hottest summer since 1950 as national average temperature reaches 24.3°C

Record summer and August temperatures

Summer 2026 in Italy was the hottest recorded since national data collection began in 1950, according to an analysis by the Institute for Bioeconomy of the National Research Council (CNR-IBE). The national average temperature reached 24.3 degrees Celsius measured at two metres above ground level, surpassing the previous record of 23.6 degrees Celsius set in the summer of 2003. The findings are based on the ERA5-Land climate dataset maintained by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). August experienced the largest upward divergence of any month in 2026, reaching a national mean temperature of 25.6 degrees Celsius. This was 5.2 degrees Celsius higher than the 1951–1980 August climatological average of 20.4 degrees Celsius and 3.5 degrees Celsius above the 1991–2020 baseline of 22.1 degrees Celsius.

Lorenzo Arcidiaco, a researcher at CNR-IBE, noted the comparative scale of the late-summer measurements.

The average of 25.6 degrees Celsius recorded in August 2026 exceeds the previous records of 24.6°C in 2024 and 24°C reached in August 2017.

Year-to-date trajectory and monthly highs

Every month from January to August 2026 registered higher average temperatures across Italy compared to the corresponding month in 2025. Monthly heat ranking maps spanning back to 1950 showed July and August 2026 recording consecutive all-time monthly highs for the first time in the 76-year dataset. Elevated temperatures began earlier in the year, with spring 2026 reaching a seasonal average of 12.1 degrees Celsius at two metres above ground. That spring measurement matched the level recorded in 2024, which holds the record as the warmest full calendar year in Italy since 1950. Arcidiaco stated that the cumulative measurements indicate that 2026 could conclude as the warmest overall year on record.

Geographic distribution and agricultural exposure

Thermal deviations affected a large majority of the country between January and August 2026. Approximately 70% of Italian national territory experienced temperature anomalies exceeding 1.0 degree Celsius, while roughly 40% of the land area recorded anomalies greater than 2.0 degrees Celsius. These thermal deviations were concentrated predominantly across the northwestern plains and along the Apennine mountain range. The affected regions consist largely of agricultural land where prolonged heat combined with regional drought conditions, placing the primary sector under acute pressure.

The surfaces exposed to thermal anomalies are very significant, with a concentration in the northwestern plain areas and the Apennines.

Health alerts and expected weather shift

Multiple heatwaves occurred across the Italian peninsula throughout the summer months, producing high temperatures and humidity in urban centres. The Italian Ministry of Health repeatedly issued red heat warnings, the highest available alert category indicating health risks for the general population as well as vulnerable groups. The prolonged heat made outdoor activity difficult across multiple metropolitan areas. Regional environmental protection agency Arpa Lombardia reported that weather conditions would shift starting on 9 September, bringing widespread rainfall and a temperature drop of approximately 10 degrees Celsius.