Red-hot Anticyclone Nero will blast Italy until Saturday bringing temperatures over 38°C amid a new wave of muggy “afa” days and tropical “afa” nights, Antonio Sanò, founder of the weather website www.iLMeteo.it, said on Monday.

The worst of the hot weather will be in the north and centre while the south may have some continued respite, he said.

“The extremely hot air from the Sahara desert is invading a large swathe of the Old Continent pushing temperatures above seasonal averages by 10-12°C, like in France and Germany”, - said Sanò. Temps will hit 37-39°C this week, he said, in Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto, and Piedmont with unbreathable sticky heat in Milan, Rome, Florenve, Bologna, Padua, Pavia, Alessandria, Turin, Mantua, Bolzano, and Terni. Temps will average 36-37°C in the south while some southern coastal area will see highs of 32-34°C, added Sanò.