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🇮🇹 Italy /Environment & Climate

CNR: Italy’s summer 2026 was the hottest since 1950

From ANSA · () Italian

Translated from Italian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Documents & data Ongoing story
  • Italy recorded its hottest summer since 1950, with a national average temperature of 24.3°C, exceeding the 2003 record of 23.6°C.
  • August averaged 25.6°C, surpassing previous August records and standing 5.2°C above the 1951-1980 average.
  • Researchers said the heat affected large areas, particularly cultivated land, where higher temperatures and drought hit the agricultural sector.

Summer 2026 broke Italy’s temperature record dating back to 1950, surpassing the summer of 2003, which had previously held the record. The national average temperature reached 24.3°C at two metres above the ground, compared with 23.6°C in 2003.

The figures come from the Institute for Bioeconomics of Italy’s National Research Council, which examined temperatures recorded since 1950 in the Era5 Land database of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Lorenzo Arcidiaco of the institute said every month from January through August was warmer than the corresponding month a year earlier.

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.

· Lorenzo ArcidiacoArcidiaco described the new August temperature record.

August recorded the largest deviation. Its average temperature reached 25.6°C, which was 5.2°C above the 1951-1980 average of 20.4°C and 3.5°C above the 1991-2020 average of 22.1°C. The figure also exceeded the previous August records of 24.6°C in 2024 and 24°C in 2017.

The data suggest that 2026 could end as the hottest year since 1950.

· Lorenzo ArcidiacoArcidiaco assessed the broader temperature data for 2026.

Arcidiaco said the data suggested that 2026 could end as the hottest year since 1950. Temperature maps showed July and August becoming the hottest months on record consecutively for the first time. Spring also tied the record set in 2024, with an average of 12.1°C at two metres above the ground.

From January to August, about 70% of Italy’s territory recorded temperature anomalies above one degree, while around 40% recorded anomalies above two degrees. The most affected areas were concentrated in the northwestern plains and the Apennines. Much of the affected land was cultivated, and in some areas the heat coincided with drought, leaving agriculture as the hardest-hit sector.

The exposed areas with temperature anomalies are very significant, concentrated in the northwestern plains and the Apennines.

· Lorenzo ArcidiacoHe identified the areas with the most significant temperature anomalies.
About this summary

Originally published by ANSA in Italian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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