Goodbye to the summer heat: a strong Atlantic disturbance and a temperature collapse are on the way

The long, torrid summer that kept Italy under a cloak of oppressive heat for over three months now seems to be coming to an end. The atmospheric turning point is imminent, explains ilmeteo.it, according to which an incisive disturbance of Atlantic origin is ready to definitively undermine the robust North African anticyclonic dome. Already in the next few hours the unstable front will make its entry starting from the regions of the North-West, triggering a radical collapse in temperatures which will drop by up to 8°C in a very short time, putting an end to a long period of climatic anomalies.

The last remnants of the heat and the thermal collapse

Today will represent the last real outpost of the great heat on the peninsula. In the central hours of the day, the final peaks of 35 °C will be reached in the North, while in the Centre-South thermometers will record widespread peaks of 36-37 °C, forcing Italians to make a final effort against the heat. The most obvious example of the imminent and drastic temperature change will be the city of Milan: from the 33°C expected for today's afternoon, the Lombard capital will drop to just 26°C on Wednesday. By the weekend, the fresh air will spread throughout the country, allowing you to finally breathe again. Maximum temperatures will be anywhere between 28-30°C. This is an extraordinary thermal normalization if you consider that, just a few weeks ago, these values ​​represented the minimum night-time temperatures recorded in Sardinia, Sicily and along the Tyrrhenian coasts.

Progressive bad weather: the rainfall map

This new configuration, while guaranteeing the long-awaited refreshment, will bring with it the inevitable downside: a marked risk of intense rainfall and hailstorms. The first signs of deterioration in the weather will appear as early as Tuesday evening, with the first showers in Liguria, Lombardy and the Alps. Between Wednesday and Thursday the disturbance will come to the fore, involving the rest of the northern regions in a more widespread and structured way. On Friday, bad weather will slide towards the Center, bringing widespread rain and thunderstorms. In this first phase, Southern Italy will be partially spared from the more abundant phenomena, but the fresh air will also manage to conquer the south over the weekend, completing the change of season. Mathematical models indicate that this will not be a temporary respite, but rather a lasting refreshment. Although a few isolated summer-like tailwinds in the South by mid-month cannot be ruled out, experts confirm that we will finally be able to turn off the air conditioners and put away the fans, finding a nocturnal normality that has been missing for months.

The Italian seas like a powder keg of energy

The greatest concern for experts is linked to the state of health of Italian sea basins, which currently behave like a real energy powder keg. The very long summer caused a thermal anomaly in the area of ​​+7 °C, but above all it overheated the seas, whose surface waters are 4 °C warmer than the average at the beginning of September, with exceptional peaks of 29-30 °C recorded on the Tyrrhenian Sea. This surplus of heat physically translates into an immense reserve of potential energy for the atmosphere. The underlying scientific principle is as simple as it is insidious: for every additional degree centigrade of heating, the air is able to retain approximately 7% more water vapor. Our seas, as warm as the tropical ones, are releasing enormous quantities of humidity. When cold Atlantic currents impact this layer of warm, saturated air, the vapor will rapidly condense, acting as a powerful engine for the development of thunderclouds. This thermal shock drastically increases the probability of witnessing extreme weather events, providing the "fuel" necessary for the formation of stationary cloudbursts, self-healing thunderstorms and sudden, violent gusts of linear wind.