ROME, ITALY / RankWire.AI / – In 2026, Italy experienced its hottest summer since 1950, with the average temperature across the country reaching 24.3 degrees Celsius. The National Research Council’s Institute for Bioeconomy reported that this figure surpassed the previous summer record set in 2003, which had an average of 23.6 degrees Celsius. The summer of 2026, covering June through August and based on temperatures measured two metres above ground, ranks as the warmest in Italy’s 76-year temperature record.
August was particularly intense, with the national average reaching 25.6 degrees Celsius, surpassing the August average from 1951-1980 by 5.2 degrees and exceeding the 1991-2020 August norm by 3.5 degrees. According to the National Research Council’s Institute for Bioeconomy, August 2026 also broke previous monthly temperature records 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 of 2026 are now ranked as the hottest on record according to the institute’s heat maps. These months followed a record-breaking spring, when Italy’s average temperature reached 12.1 degrees Celsius, matching the seasonal record from 2024. Throughout January to August, every month in 2026 registered higher temperatures than the same months in 2025, extending the trend of elevated temperatures across much of the year.
August shatters earlier temperature records
Throughout the first eight months of 2026, temperature anomalies were widespread across Italy, with about 70% of the territory recording anomalies above 1 degree Celsius and roughly 40% exceeding 2 degrees. The most intense anomalies appeared in the northwestern plains and along the Apennines, regions that include extensive agricultural land. Elevated temperatures and drought conditions impacted some farming areas, while cities like Rome, Florence, and Turin experienced repeated heatwaves during June, July, and August.
This record is based on ERA5-Land data from ECMWF, which provides land-surface climate data dating back to 1950. Researchers used this information to compare Italy’s temperatures over the full period. Italy’s summer average of 24.3 degrees exceeded the 2003 benchmark by 0.7 degrees, and August’s 25.6-degree reading surpassed the 2024 monthly record by 1.0 degree. These measurements reflect air temperatures measured at two metres above the surface.
Widespread heat extends across Italy and the Mediterranean
The broader Mediterranean region also faced exceptional heat during summer 2026. A separate study linked to Italy’s National Research Council found that Mediterranean sea-surface temperatures averaged approximately 27 degrees Celsius in July, marking the highest July average since 1993. The analysis revealed that 79% of the Mediterranean experienced at least one significant marine heatwave, though these marine conditions are separate from Italy’s land-based temperature record.
Italy’s record-breaking summer occurred amid a wave of intense heat across Europe, which recent climate assessments describe as the continent’s fastest-warming region over recent decades. The season was marked by drought, wildfires, and temperatures that remained above those of the previous year. Italy experienced its hottest July and August in the historical temperature dataset, confirming summer 2026 as the country’s warmest meteorological summer since the ERA5-Land series began in 1950.