ROME, ITALY / RankWire.AI / – The summer of 2026 marked Italy’s hottest season since 1950, with an average temperature of 24.3 degrees Celsius nationwide. The National Research Council’s Institute for Bioeconomy reported that this figure surpasses the previous summer record set in 2003, which averaged 23.6 degrees across the country. The calculation for 2026 covers June through August and is based on temperatures measured two metres above ground. This result places 2026 at the top of Italy’s 76-year temperature record.
August proved to be the hottest month, with an average temperature of 25.6 degrees Celsius, exceeding the August average from 1951-1980 by 5.2 degrees. It was also 3.5 degrees higher than the August average for 1991-2020. According to the National Research Council’s Institute for Bioeconomy, August 2026 broke previous monthly records of 24.6 degrees in 2024 and 24.0 degrees in 2017. The climate dataset used for the analysis is ECMWF’s ERA5-Land.
Both July and August 2026 ranked as the hottest months on record, as shown by the institute’s heat maps. The summer followed a record-breaking spring when Italy’s average temperature reached 12.1 degrees Celsius. That same temperature was also recorded in spring 2024, matching the seasonal high. From January to August, every month in 2026 was warmer than the same month in 2025, extending Italy’s elevated temperatures across most of the year.
August Sets New Temperature Milestone
During the first eight months of 2026, temperature anomalies were widespread across Italy. About 70% of the country experienced anomalies over 1 degree Celsius, with roughly 40% exceeding 2 degrees. The regions most affected included northwestern plains and areas along the Apennines, where large expanses of cultivated land are located. Elevated temperatures and drought conditions impacted agricultural zones, and cities such as Rome, Florence, and Turin faced recurrent heatwaves in June, July, and August.
The record relies on ERA5-Land data from ECMWF, which provides land-surface climate information dating back to 1950. Researchers used this data to compare temperatures throughout Italy over the full period. Italy’s summer average of 24.3 degrees was 0.7 degrees above the 2003 benchmark, while August’s 25.6-degree figure surpassed the 2024 monthly record by 1.0 degree. These measurements represent air temperature at two metres above the surface.
Extensive Heatwaves Mark Italy’s Summer of 2026
The broader Mediterranean region also experienced extraordinary heat during the summer of 2026. A separate analysis linked to Italy’s National Research Council revealed that sea-surface temperatures in the Mediterranean averaged about 27 degrees Celsius in July, marking the highest July average since 1993. The analysis also indicated that 79% of the Mediterranean experienced at least one intense marine heatwave. These marine temperature readings are independent of the land-temperature series used to establish Italy’s national summer record.
Italy’s record heat coincided with a summer of widespread European temperatures, with assessments describing the continent as the world’s fastest-warming region in recent decades. Droughts and wildfires impacted various parts of Europe, while Italy endured months of above-average temperatures, culminating in the hottest July and August in the available temperature dataset. The figures confirm summer 2026 as Italy’s hottest meteorological summer since the ERA5-Land series began in 1950.