It's confirmed: the truce is already over : Friday, temperatures will reach 41°C in Cagliari and Nuoro, and 40°C in Oristano. After a brief lull in the South, the African anticyclone is roaring back to Italy, bringing with it the fifth heat wave of this crazy summer of 2026. Lorenzo Tedici, meteorologist and media manager for iLMeteo.it, confirms that it will be a rapid but extremely intense escalation, destined to hit the central and southern regions and parts of Emilia Romagna hard. The only true "oasis" will be the Northwest, where temperatures will still be comfortable with highs around 30°C. Elsewhere, we'll find tropical temperatures. The African comeback will begin with Sicily immediately in pole position. On Wednesday, the hottest city will be Caltanissetta with 40°C, followed by Oristano (39°C) and the 37°C widespread in Agrigento, Enna, and Ragusa.

On Thursday, the heat will tighten further: Caltanissetta will rise to 41°C and Oristano to 40°C , while Calabria will jump to the top three with 39°C in Cosenza and Reggio Calabria. A notable figure for the inland hilly areas is worth noting: Isernia will record a whopping 38°C, despite its 400 meters above sea level. While initially the target will seem to be the South, the real surprise will arrive on Friday, August 28th. It will be a day to mark in red on the calendar. The South will literally be in the oven: Foggia will hit 42°C, while Benevento, Cagliari , Caltanissetta, Cosenza, Nuoro , and Reggio Calabria will settle at 41°C.

But the biggest anomaly will affect central Italy, with exceptional temperatures for the third ten days of August. Frosinone and Terni will reach 40°C, Ascoli Piceno and Rome 39°C. It will be a crucial day for the capital: the historic record for the end of the month could collapse (the hottest August 28th since 1950) although the all-time August record (40.0°C in 1981) and the annual record (42.1°C in July 2023) will remain a bit distant. We will be monitoring every tenth of a degree. On this day, the heatwave will also briefly conquer the north, concentrating on Emilia-Romagna, with muggy temperatures on the coast and scorching heat inland, partly due to moderate Garbino winds. In the north and central Italy, it will be a quick and easy affair. : a memory not entirely faded, but certainly less fiery red. In the South, however, the anticyclone will hold sway. The sun and African heat will continue to reign supreme until early September, extending the summer to the delight of late-arriving vacationers.