A summer that shows no signs of ending. Italy is preparing for a final weekend of sun and intense heat, with temperatures set to reach record highs for the second half of September. But starting Monday, the scenario will change radically: with the Autumn Equinox, rain and thunderstorms will return, especially in the North.
Popular tradition also recalls the special significance of today, September 19th. "On San Gennaro , raise the ladder," goes the proverb associated with the fig harvest, when the fruits are ripe and ready to be picked.
This year, in Naples and the rest of central and southern Italy, farmers will truly be climbing the ladders under a scorching sun, with thermometers reaching nearly 32 degrees.
According to meteorologists, the cause is the further expansion of the North African anticyclone toward Europe, an increasingly frequent phenomenon with ongoing climate change. The result is almost muggy heat, accompanied by clear skies and days more typical of July than September.
The forecasted maximum temperatures are clear: Terni will reach 35 degrees, followed by Arezzo, Florence, Caserta, Oristano, Pistoia, and Prato with 34. Benevento, Frosinone, Livorno, and Grosseto will stay at 33, while Bologna, Rome, and many other cities will hover around 32. In the north, Milan will remain just below 30 degrees, but it is precisely here that, starting Sunday evening, the first taste of autumn will arrive.
A severe weather system is expected on Monday, September 22nd, coinciding with the equinox. It will initially hit Lombardy, Liguria, and Piedmont, before spreading to Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, and Sardinia. Rain and thunderstorms will split Italy in two: more sunshine and heat along the Adriatic coast and in the South, while severe weather will spread across the rest of the country.
The shift will be dramatic: from bright days and summer temperatures to cooler, more unstable weather that will mark the arrival of autumn. In the North, meteorologists warn, it won't be out of the question to break out the light down jacket; in Central and Southern Italy, however, it will be enough to dust off the sweatshirts and long pants. A sudden wardrobe change that will mark the end of the longest summer in recent years.
This article talks about how summer doesn't seem to end, but I thought autumn had already arrived. The temperature in Naples is so high, which is strange for September, but let's see what happens on Monday with the rain.