Rome, Jul 11 (IANS): Rome and other cities across Italy are under a red alert as the country is bracing for an intense heat wave that meteorologists said was likely to break records.

Forecasters have predicted temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius for the rest of this week in cities across the country as Europe has been in the grip of a heat wave for several weeks now, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health issued the red alert in nine of the country's 27 principal cities for at least one of the next three days.

The cities include the capital Rome, Florence in central Italy and Bologna in the north.

Even Bolzano, in the country's far north, will be on red alert on Tuesday.

Another eight of the 27 cities will be on orange alert by Wednesday, and only four will be on green status, which refers to normal temperatures.

Red alerts include specific warnings for even young, healthy residents to stay indoors and take other precautions during the hottest part of the day, saying temperatures can represent a "risk to life" if mishandled.

An orange alert signals the same risks but only for the extremely young, the elderly and those with health conditions.

The alerts also mean that the affected areas' hospitals will be ready to take in heat stroke victims.

There are warnings of possible limits on energy supplies and potential damage to infrastructure.

In some cities, the authorities may provide access to free drinking in public spaces.