ROME, ITALY / RankWire.AI / – Across Europe, summer 2026 has marked a period of intense heat, with Italy standing out for its unprecedented temperatures since 1950. The National Research Council’s Institute for Bioeconomy reported that Italy’s summer average temperature reached 24.3 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record set in 2003. That year, the country’s summer season averaged 23.6 degrees Celsius. The 2026 data, covering June through August and based on temperatures measured two metres above ground, places this summer at the top of Italy’s 76-year temperature record series.
August was particularly notable for its extreme heat. The average temperature nationwide hit 25.6 degrees Celsius, which is 5.2 degrees higher than the August average from 1951-1980. Additionally, it was 3.5 degrees above the August norm for 1991-2020. According to the Institute for Bioeconomy, August 2026 broke previous monthly highs 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 2026 rank as the hottest months on record in the dataset, as indicated by the institute’s heat maps. This follows a record-breaking spring, when Italy’s national average temperature reached 12.1 degrees Celsius. The spring of 2024 also hit that same temperature, equaling the seasonal record. From January to August, every month in 2026 was warmer than the same month in 2025, extending the trend of elevated temperatures across most of the year.
August sets new temperature benchmarks
Temperature anomalies throughout much of Italy during the first eight months of 2026 were significant. About 70% of the country’s territory experienced anomalies exceeding 1 degree Celsius, while approximately 40% saw increases over 2 degrees. The regions most affected included the northwestern plains and the areas along the Apennines, which also encompass large agricultural zones. Higher temperatures and drought conditions impacted some farms, and cities like Rome, Florence, and Turin endured repeated heatwaves during June, July, and August.
This record is based on ERA5-Land data from ECMWF, which provides land-surface climate information dating back to 1950. Researchers utilized this dataset to compare temperatures across Italy over the entire period. Italy’s summer average of 24.3 degrees exceeded the 2003 benchmark by 0.7 degrees, while August’s 25.6-degree record surpassed the 2024 monthly record by 1.0 degree. These measurements represent air temperature at two metres above the surface.
Widespread heat across Italy evidenced by climate data
Beyond Italy, the broader Mediterranean region also faced exceptional heat during summer 2026. An independent analysis linked to Italy’s National Research Council revealed that sea-surface temperatures in the Mediterranean averaged around 27 degrees Celsius in July — the highest July average since 1993. The study also found that 79% of the Mediterranean Sea experienced at least one strong or more intense marine heatwave, though these marine measurements are separate from the land temperature series used for Italy’s national summer record.
Italy’s record-setting summer occurred amid widespread heat across Europe, a continent identified as the fastest-warming region in recent decades by European climate assessments. The summer season was also marked by drought and wildfires in parts of Europe. In Italy, the season followed months where temperatures consistently stayed above the previous year’s levels, culminating in the hottest July and August on record within the ERA5-Land series that begins in 1950. These figures confirm that summer 2026 was Italy’s most scorching meteorological season in the dataset’s history.