The summer of 2026 ranks among the hottest ever recorded in Emilia-Romagna. This is confirmed by data from Arpae, the regional environmental agency, which places the season just ended essentially on par with the historic summer of 2003, until now the benchmark for records dating back to 1961.
What set 2026 apart above all were the maximum temperatures, which turned out to be the highest overall in the historical series. Over the course of the summer, four prolonged heatwaves hit the region in succession.
The most striking figure concerns torrid days — those with maximum temperatures above 35°C: there were 32, a new absolute record and five more than the previous high set in 2012. Tropical nights, with minimum temperatures above 20°C, numbered 47: the second-highest figure ever recorded, tied with 2022 and behind only the 59 nights of 2003.
Particularly notable was the situation in Bologna, where 81 tropical nights were counted, 24 of which saw minimum temperatures even exceeding 25°C.
The heat also made itself felt over the Adriatic Sea. The Nausicaa buoy off Cesenatico recorded exceptionally high sea surface temperatures in August compared with the 2008-2025 historical series.
The rainfall picture was different, coming in overall close to the climatic norm, but often concentrated in brief, highly intense thunderstorms, with rainfall in some cases exceeding 30 millimeters in a single hour.
Rounding off an exceptional summer, in the last week of August, was a substantial influx of Saharan dust, accompanied by heat and heavy humidity. On August 28, the bioclimatic discomfort index exceeded 29 in the central-eastern plain, reaching levels well above the seasonal average.
