Italy's latest heatwave peaks with 18 cities on red alert

Italy's third major heatwave of the year is peaking on Tuesday, when the number of major Italian cities that the health ministry has on red alert rose from 17 on Monday to 18. Cagliari joined Bari, Campobasso, Catania, Civitavecchia, Florence, Frosinone, Genoa, Latina, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, Pescara, Reggio Calabria, Rieti, Rome and Viterbo on maximum alert on Tuesday. The heat is forecast to relent somewhat on Wednesday, when the number of red-alert cities will fall to seven: Cagliari, Catania, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Reggio Calabria and Rome. The health ministry monitors 27 major cities for its warnings. The red warning (Level 3) indicates a heatwave emergency with prolonged heat and a high general risk to health, even for young people in good health. All of this year's hea