ROME, July 16 (Reuters) - Italy issued hot weather red alerts for 16 cities on Sunday, with meteorologists warning that temperatures will hit record highs across southern Europe in the coming days.
Spain, Italy and Greece have been experiencing scorching temperatures for several days already, damaging agriculture and leaving tourists scurrying for shade.
"We need to prepare for a severe heat storm that, day after day, will blanket the whole country," Italian weather news service Meteo.it warned on Sunday.
Italy's Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said authorities were keeping a close eye on Rome and urged people to take care.
Europe's highest recorded temperature of 48.8C (119.8F), registered in Sicily two years ago, could be exceeded in the coming days, notably on the Italian island of Sardinia, meteorologists have said.
Persons:
Charon, Meteo.it, Orazio Schillaci, Il, Crispian Balmer, Graham Keeley, David Goodman
Organizations:
Italy's, Thomson
Locations:
Italy, Europe, Spanish, La Parma, Spain, Greece, Africa, Acropolis, Rome, Florence, Palermo, Sicily, Bari, Seville, Sardinia, Barcelona