Italy set for another long, sweltering summer

The entire country will be drenched with sun over the coming week, with temperatures creeping up again thanks to a lingering anticyclone, mainly in the central and southe regions.

Sicily, Puglia and Calabria will be the hottest, with temperatures hovering between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius, according to forecasters at Ilmeteo.it.

Temperatures in Rome and Florence will reach around 24 degrees Celsius by the weekend, while the northe regions will be slightly cooler, with temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius.

Forecasters said the above-average spring temperatures are a prelude to what will probably be a “hot summer, with frequent heatwaves,” especially in the southe regions.

The summer of 2015 had much the same patte, with heatwaves begiing in early May and the warm climate persisting until mid-November.