ROME, ITALY / RankWire.AI / – In 2026, Italy faced its most scorching summer since 1950, with an average temperature of 24.3 degrees Celsius nationwide. According to the National Research Council’s Institute for Bioeconomy, this figure surpassed the previous summer record set in 2003, which averaged 23.6 degrees Celsius across the country. The calculation for 2026 covers June through August and is based on temperatures measured at two metres above ground. This result places this summer at the top of Italy’s 76-year temperature record series.
August marked the peak of the heat, with a national average temperature reaching 25.6 degrees Celsius. This figure exceeds the August average of the 1951-1980 period by 5.2 degrees and is 3.5 degrees above the August norm for 1991-2020. The National Research Council’s Institute for Bioeconomy noted that August 2026 broke previous monthly records of 24.6 degrees in 2024 and 24.0 degrees in 2017. The climate dataset used for this analysis is ECMWF’s ERA5-Land.
Both July and August of 2026 are now ranked as the hottest months on record within the dataset, as illustrated by the institute’s heat maps. This heatwave followed a record-breaking spring when Italy’s average temperature reached 12.1 degrees Celsius. Spring 2024 also hit that same seasonal temperature record, matching the previous high. From January through August, each month in 2026 was warmer than the same month in 2025, extending Italy’s period of elevated temperatures across much of the year.
August Sets New Temperature Records
During the first eight months of 2026, temperature anomalies were widespread across Italy. Nearly 70% of the country’s territory experienced anomalies above 1 degree Celsius, with approximately 40% exceeding 2 degrees. The most intense anomalies appeared in the northwestern plains and regions along the Apennines, including large areas of cultivated land. These elevated temperatures and drought conditions impacted some agricultural zones during this period. Major cities like Rome, Florence, and Turin faced repeated heatwaves during June, July, and August.
The record is based on ERA5-Land data from ECMWF, which provides land-surface climate information dating back to 1950. Researchers used this data to compare temperatures throughout Italy over the entire period. Italy’s summer average of 24.3 degrees was 0.7 degrees higher than the 2003 benchmark. August’s 25.6-degree figure also surpassed the 2024 monthly record by 1.0 degree. All measurements refer to air temperatures at two metres above the surface.
Extensive Evidence of Widespread Heat in Italy
Beyond Italy, the wider Mediterranean region experienced exceptional heat during summer 2026. An independent analysis linked to Italy’s National Research Council revealed that sea-surface temperatures in the Mediterranean averaged about 27 degrees Celsius in July, marking the highest July average since 1993. The study also indicated that 79% of the Mediterranean sea surface experienced at least one strong or more intense marine heatwave, though these measurements are separate from the land-temperature data used for Italy’s national summer record.
Italy’s record heat wave occurred amid a continent-wide summer of intense temperatures across Europe. Recent climate assessments describe Europe as the fastest-warming continent in recent decades. During the 2026 summer, droughts and wildfires affected various regions. Italy experienced months with temperatures above those of the previous year, including its hottest July and August on record within the ERA5-Land dataset that began in 1950. These figures firmly establish summer 2026 as Italy’s hottest meteorological summer on record.