Heat wave in northern Italy: Asphalt melts on the A4!

Heat wave in northern Italy: Asphalt melts on the A4!

In northern Italy, an extreme heat wave causes considerable problems, especially on the highways. The temperatures rise to up to 37 degrees, which becomes a challenge not only for people, but also for the infrastructure. The A4 motorway is particularly affected, where there are always temporary locks between Verona-Süd and Verona-Ost. This due to asphalt deformations and the associated difficulties in the flow of traffic. The current temperatures here achieve more than 35 degrees, which leads to a significant effect on the road surface, which has been deformed and temporarily had to be shut down, such as derStandard.de reported.

The situation is particularly critical on a section of the A4 at Vicenza, where long traffic jams of over 30 kilometers between Montebello Vicentino and Sommacampagna force travelers to linger. This happens due to the fact that a lane is closed towards Milan. Despite the major challenges, some access roads could be reopened after a few hours. The high volume of traffic and waiting times illustrate the problems caused by the extreme heat.

climate alarm state and tropical nights

The high temperatures are not only a burden for the drivers, but also for the entire region. A climate alarm state was proclaimed in Veneto to draw attention to the health risks. The nights offer hardly any recovery, the temperatures do not drop below 22 degrees and, according to meteorologists, lead to so -called "tropical nights", which are becoming increasingly normal. suedtirol news points out that these extreme events are part of a new climatic reality that is increasingly emerging.

The agricultural areas are also affected. High evaporation rates lead to water losses, which in particular endangers corn cultivation in a sensitive growth phase. Forecasts show that up to 60 millimeters are expected in the next ten days. This could have significant consequences for the harvest. In the higher altitudes of the marmolata, with 3343 meters, plus degrees were also measured, which shows that the zero level level is now 500 meters higher than in the previous year, which drives the glacier loss massively.

Local thunderstorms have been announced for Thursday, but sustainable cooling is not in sight. The combination of extreme heat and the associated challenges makes it clear that the population in northern Italy has to adapt to a continued heat wave, while the infrastructure and the environment have to react to these extreme conditions.