Late September with a final summer surge: record heat returns.

Despite the autumnal equinox and a temporary influx of cooler air from the Balkans, the summer of 2026 seems unwilling to leave Italy just yet. Meteorologist Luca Lombroso, broadcasting live from Cervia, announced that after a couple of days with below-average temperatures, the subtropical anticyclone will return by the end of September with a final "summer sting."

Yesterday, on the eve of the equinox, unseasonal values were recorded with peaks exceeding 30°C in several locations: 33.4°C in Catania, 32.2°C in Decimomannu (Sardinia), 32.6°C in Turin, and 32.4°C at Milan Malpensa. In the coming days, a trough over the Balkans will bring northerly winds and a cooling trend, but true autumn rains will remain absent in the North and Central regions. The weekend will see a decisive return of heat to the North and Central areas.

The late September 2026 heatwave fits into a climatic context characterized by increasingly long and intense summers due to global warming. Late-season heat events, once rare, are becoming more frequent, with subtropical anticyclones expanding even outside the traditional summer season.

The current event was preceded by an already very hot summer in 2026. The meteorological mechanism now involves a temporary influx of cooler, drier air from the Balkans, driven by the polar jet stream, which will bring strong winds (such as the bora on the Adriatic) and a short-lived drop in temperatures. However, the high-pressure system that dominated the season has not dissipated: it will temporarily retreat only to strengthen again, bringing warm air masses from subtropical Africa back. This pattern, with rapid swings between cool and intense heat, has become a feature of recent autumns.