ROME, ITALY / RankWire.AI / – In 2026, Italy experienced its warmest summer since 1950, with an average temperature of 24.3 degrees Celsius. The National Research Council’s Institute for Bioeconomy reported that this figure surpasses the previous record set in 2003, which had an average of 23.6 degrees Celsius across the country. This calculation covers June through August and is based on temperatures recorded two metres above ground level. The data places the summer of 2026 at the top of Italy’s 76-year temperature record.
August was the most intense month. Its national average temperature reached 25.6 degrees Celsius, surpassing the August average of 1951-1980 by 5.2 degrees. It was also 3.5 degrees higher than the August norm for 1991-2020. According to the National Research Council’s Institute for Bioeconomy, August 2026 broke earlier monthly records of 24.6 degrees in 2024 and 24.0 degrees in 2017. ECMWF provides the ERA5-Land climate dataset used for analyzing Italy’s temperature trends.
Both July and August of 2026 rank as the hottest months on record in the dataset, as shown by the institute’s heat maps. This follows a record-breaking spring, when Italy’s national average temperature reached 12.1 degrees Celsius. The same temperature was recorded during spring 2024, matching the seasonal record. From January through August, every month in 2026 was warmer than its counterpart in 2025, extending the trend of elevated temperatures across most of the year.
August surpasses previous temperature records
During the first eight months of 2026, temperature anomalies affected large parts of Italy. About 70% of the country’s territory experienced anomalies above 1 degree Celsius, with roughly 40% exceeding 2 degrees. The most significant anomalies appeared across the northwestern plains and along the Apennines, regions that include extensive agricultural land. Elevated temperatures and drought conditions impacted farming in some areas, while cities like Rome, Florence, and Turin faced repeated heatwaves during June, July, and August.
The record is based on ERA5-Land data from ECMWF, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. This dataset offers land-surface climate information dating back to 1950. Researchers used this data to compare temperatures across Italy over the full period. Italy’s summer average of 24.3 degrees Celsius exceeds the 2003 record by 0.7 degrees, while August’s 25.6-degree figure beats the 2024 monthly record by 1.0 degree. All measurements refer to air temperature measured at two metres above the surface.
Widespread heatwave across Italy highlighted by climate data
In summer 2026, the broader Mediterranean region also experienced extraordinary heat. An independent analysis linked to Italy’s National Research Council found that sea-surface temperatures in the Mediterranean averaged about 27 degrees Celsius in July, the highest July average since 1993. The same study revealed that 79% of the Mediterranean experienced at least one severe or more intense marine heatwave. These marine heat measurements are separate from the land-temperature series used to establish Italy’s national summer record.
Italy’s record-breaking summer occurred amid widespread high temperatures across Europe. European climate evaluations identify the continent as the fastest-warming region worldwide in recent decades. Droughts and wildfires affected parts of Europe during the 2026 summer. In Italy, the season followed months of temperatures above those of the previous year, including the hottest July and August recorded in the climate data series. The official figures confirm that summer 2026 is Italy’s hottest meteorological summer since the ERA5-Land dataset began in 1950.