Italy's highest "red alert" heat warning is in effect for 22 cities - including Rome, Palermo, Naples, Florence and Bologna - as a persistent heatwave bakes the country, the Health Ministry announced on Thursday.
Meteorologists expect temperatures of just under 40 degrees Celsius in Rome and large swathes of the south this weekend. Experts told people to stay out of the sun between 11 am and 6 pm and to avoid crowded places.
Meanwhile, the situation with Italy's longest river, the Po, continues to worsen. According to an update issued by monitors on Wednesday, recent rains barely made a dent in the severe drought conditions. The river remains very low in stretches.
Because of the low level, salt water has penetrated the riverbed at the mouth of the Adriatic Sea, some 30 kilometres inland.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Thursday evening announced measures taken by his government because of the drought.
From Monday on, the government will take care of emergency plans in the affected parts of the country, something that has been demanded by the regions, especially in the north, for weeks.
Draghi also pointed to structural problems: Some of the country's water reservoirs and pipelines are in such a parlous state that 30% of the water is lost.
