Maximum temperatures across Italy are forecast to go back to the “normal” range in the first week of August, reported Italian news agency Ansa.

Temperatures in the south will remain below 40 degrees, while the north of the country will see maximum highs of 31 to 33 degrees, climatologist Luca Mercalli, President of the Italian Meteorological Society (Smi), told Ansa.

“Some days, it will even be cool,” he said.

The high-pressure system moving in from northern Africa, known as an anticyclone, which kept Italy under a heatwave for 15 days “has retreated to where it came from”, he added.

For now at least, “no further heatwaves are in sight by the first week of August”.

🔴Break temporalesco ad inizio di agosto. Deciso calo termico #temporale #thunderstorms #Italy #Agosto https://t.co/IVq1IaBZoG

— 3B Meteo (@3BMeteo) July 29, 2023

Weather website 3B Meteo also projected a break in the excessive heat for the beginning of the new month.

However, along with cooler temperatures due to colder fronts sweeping in over northern Europe, Italy can also expect instability and new thunderstorms, according to weather projections.

The beginning of the week may signal thunderstorms across the north, and are also expected in the second half.

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Central and southern regions may also be affected over the weekend.

For now, predictions were limited to the first week in August, as the climatologist stated that forecasts beyond seven to ten days are unreliable.

Italy has experienced extreme heat and violent storms at the end of July that left several people dead.

The higher frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and floods is linked to climate change, according to the climate expert.