Summer 2026 was Italy’s hottest since 1950

According to CNR-IBE data, Italy recorded an average summer temperature of 24.3°C. In August, temperatures were 3.5°C above the 1991-2020 average.

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Summer 2026 was the hottest recorded in Italy since 1950, according to analyses released on 7 September by the Institute of BioEconomy of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-IBE), based on ERA5-Land data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

The average temperature recorded across Italy during the summer reached 24.3°C at two metres above ground level. August was particularly exceptional, with a national average temperature of 25.6°C, exceeding the previous records of 24.6°C in 2024 and 24°C in 2017.

The August temperature anomaly was +5.2°C compared with the 1951-1980 average and +3.5°C compared with the 1991-2020 climatological average.

According to Lorenzo Arcidiaco, researcher at CNR-IBE, the figures also suggest that 2026 could end up being Italy’s hottest year since 1950. For the first time in the historical series, July and August were consecutively the hottest ever recorded for their respective months.

Exceptionally high temperatures were not limited to the summer. Spring 2026 had already recorded an average temperature of 12.1°C, matching the record set in 2024. Between January and August, around 70% of Italy’s territory experienced temperature anomalies exceeding 1°C, while around 40% recorded anomalies above 2°C.

The north-western plains and Apennine areas were particularly exposed. According to CNR-IBE, the combination of higher temperatures and drought conditions in some areas is having a significant impact on agricultural land, making the primary sector particularly vulnerable.

Data for Rome, Florence and Turin also show that all three cities experienced repeated heatwaves during June, July and August 2026.