Italy's Health Ministry placed all 27 cities monitored under its national heat surveillance system on red alert Thursday - the first time this year the entire network has been under the highest warning level simultaneously

So far this is only the third-hottest year, behind 2024 and 2025, climate statistics show. But give 2026 time. Because of a one-two punch of accelerated human-caused global warming and a supersized El Nino, there's an increasing chance that by the end of the year, 2026 could eke out the crown for the hottest year on record, eclipsing 2024