Rome, Italy— A brutal heatwave sent more than 100 people to hospitals across southern Italy Thursday, with dehydration, heatstroke, and exhaustion overwhelming clinics as temperatures pushed past 38 degrees Celsius.
The surge hit Puglia, Calabria, and Sicily hardest, according to ANSA News Agency and regional health authorities. Hospitals in Bari, Lecce, and Catania reported emergency rooms filling from early morning, with elderly patients, outdoor workers, and children among those admitted. At least 18 were in serious condition with acute kidney injury from fluid loss.
The heat dome settled over the Mediterranean earlier this week, trapping hot, dry air over the south. In Palermo, the mercury hit 39.2 degrees at 2 p.m. local time, five degrees above the seasonal average. Nighttime offered little relief, with temperatures staying above 27 degrees, preventing bodies from cooling.
"We are seeing classic dehydration, but also people who simply cannot cool down," an emergency doctor in Taranto told ANSA. "They come in confused, with low blood pressure. Many live alone, no air conditioning, and they do not drink enough until it is too late."
Civil protection issued a red alert for eight provinces, urging people to stay indoors between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., drink water, and check on elderly neighbors. Schools in three cities shortened hours. Farm work was halted in midday hours after two laborers collapsed in fields near Foggia. Power demand for air conditioning triggered brief outages in two Sicilian towns.
Southern Italy's health system, already stretched by summer tourism, struggled to keep up. In some clinics, patients waited on stretchers in hallways. Pharmacies reported runs on oral rehydration salts and electrolyte drinks. Municipalities opened air-conditioned public buildings as cooling centers, but attendance was low.
This October heat is not an outlier anymore. Climate data shows southern Italy has seen a 1.8-degree rise in average October maximums over the past 30 years, with longer, later heatwaves. Infrastructure built for mild autumns — thin-walled houses, limited shade, scarce water fountains — now traps heat.
The weather service said the dome would hold through Saturday, with only a slight drop Sunday. Authorities warned the hospitalization count would rise if people did not change behavior. The water utility in Calabria announced nighttime shutoffs to preserve reservoirs.
By evening, hospitals were still admitting patients, most carried in by relatives who had found them dizzy and unable to stand.
The heat was not breaking overnight.
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