Summer on hold: thunderstorms and cool temperatures expected until the first weekend of August.

FFinally, some respite from the oppressive heat. Starting today, Monday, July 28, Italy bids farewell to the intense heat thanks to a vast low-pressure system from Central and Eastern Europe that has also reached the Mediterranean.

The result? Unstable weather, temporal and plummeting temperatures, with values that in some areas will drop even 6-8 degrees below seasonal averages.

In the central and northern regions, especially in the northeast and central Adriatic, thunderstorms, some of which may be intense, are expected in the next few hours. But the cool weather won't be a brief one: over the next few days, the air will remain unusually cool for this time of year, with often cloudy skies and scattered showers.

In the second half of the week, conditions will improve slightly, but not completely: showers and afternoon thunderstorms will continue to linger, especially in the north and some inland areas. Temperatures, however, will begin to rise, approaching seasonal averages, though not excessively so.

And the first weekend of August? It could bring another surprise. According to the latest updates from the Italian Meteorological Center, a new low-pressure system could descend on the central Mediterranean, bringing instability and a possible worsening of the weather.

In short, anyone hoping for a hot August holiday might have to think again. For now, it's best to keep an umbrella and a light sweatshirt handy.