Another peak in floodwaters forces evacuation and closure of St. Mark's Square in Venice
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist &
Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather senior editor
Published Nov 13, 2019 1:40 PM EST
The already flooded city Venice, Italy, is bracing for another exceptionally high tide, after they've declared a state of emergency, with several million euros of damage done on Nov. 15.
Following devastating flooding and the second highest water level ever recorded earlier this week, Friday morning's high tide forced precautionary measures by police.
City mayor Luigi Brugnaro told reporters that he asked police to block off the iconic St. Mark's Square, which was already submerged in knee-high water prior to high tide.
Tourists gather near a flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy, Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The high tide on late Friday morning, local time, peaked at 160 cm (63 inches), which is still well below the peak on Tuesday of 187 cm (74 inches).
Flooding looks to continue into the beginning of next week as the tide is expected to 160 cm (63 inches) again on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Rain gradually tapered off across the region on Sunday, but this won't be the end of the wet weather as showers can overspread the area during the beginning of the week.
The highest tide levels in decades have inundated much of the city by Wednesday morning, prompting officials to issue a state of disaster declaration.
Tuesday's water levels of 187 cm (74 inches) was the second highest tide ever recorded and the highest tide in 50 years, according to the Associated Press.
On Wednesday morning, an astounding 85 percent of the city was underwater. The highest level ever recorded was 194 cm (76 inches) from the notable flood of 1966.
The flooding is being blamed for at least two deaths. One of the victims reportedly died of electrocution on the barrier island of Pellestrina, according to the AP.
A potent storm system in the Mediterranean Sea spread heavy rain across the country's Mediterranean coast early this week. As the storm moved inland, it coincided with the high tides to produce the extraordinary flooding in Venice.
"The southerly wind off the Adriatic Sea enhanced the flooding by pushing more water inland in the same way a tropical storm or hurricane causes a storm surge," AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Brugnaro, officially declared Venice a disaster zone and was asking the government for help in recovering. He also cited climate change and an incomplete offshore barriers project as the causes.
On Twitter, the mayor said there was extensive damage around the city and said that city "was on its knees."
Sea water filled St. Mark's Square and flooded St. Mark's Basilica for the sixth time in 1,200 years, the last time being in October of 2018, according to Reuters.
Brugnaro said that the St Mark's Basilica had suffered "grave damage."
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called the flooding in Venice a "disaster" and said it was "a blow to the heart of our country."
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte surveys the flooding in Venice on Wednesday. (Photo/Giuseppe Conte/Facebook)
"It hurts to see the city so damaged, its artistic heritage compromised, its business activities on its knees," he said.
After visiting the area, Conte said he will return to Rome on Thursday for a Council of Ministers meeting where he will request a state of emergency. He also said the government was ready to allocate funds to help accelerate structural solutions to the ongoing maintenance of barriers and hydraulic systems.
Significant damage to many hotels, as well as the loss of electricity, was reported by the head of the Venice hotel association. Visitors on ground levels were evacuated to higher floors.
One video showed a man going for a nighttime swim in the floodwaters around St. Mark's Square.
Tuesday night, there were several fires triggered by the flooding, including one at the International Gallery of Modern Art Ca’ Pesaro.
In addition to Venice, heavy rains from the same Medicane caused flooding in towns across southern Italy, as well as in Croatia in Slovenia.
"Despite [the] Medicane coming to an end, another storm is likely to continue the stormy pattern at the end of the week," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Additional heavy rainfall and coastal flooding through the weekend could exacerbate flooding issues across Venice.
Download the free AccuWeather app for a more detailed forecast for your exact area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather News
Another peak in floodwaters forces evacuation and closure of St. Mark's Square in Venice
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist & Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather senior editor
Published Nov 13, 2019 1:40 PM EST
The already flooded city Venice, Italy, is bracing for another exceptionally high tide, after they've declared a state of emergency, with several million euros of damage done on Nov. 15.
Following devastating flooding and the second highest water level ever recorded earlier this week, Friday morning's high tide forced precautionary measures by police.
City mayor Luigi Brugnaro told reporters that he asked police to block off the iconic St. Mark's Square, which was already submerged in knee-high water prior to high tide.
Tourists gather near a flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy, Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The high tide on late Friday morning, local time, peaked at 160 cm (63 inches), which is still well below the peak on Tuesday of 187 cm (74 inches).
Flooding looks to continue into the beginning of next week as the tide is expected to 160 cm (63 inches) again on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Rain gradually tapered off across the region on Sunday, but this won't be the end of the wet weather as showers can overspread the area during the beginning of the week.
The highest tide levels in decades have inundated much of the city by Wednesday morning, prompting officials to issue a state of disaster declaration.
Tuesday's water levels of 187 cm (74 inches) was the second highest tide ever recorded and the highest tide in 50 years, according to the Associated Press.
On Wednesday morning, an astounding 85 percent of the city was underwater. The highest level ever recorded was 194 cm (76 inches) from the notable flood of 1966.
The flooding is being blamed for at least two deaths. One of the victims reportedly died of electrocution on the barrier island of Pellestrina, according to the AP.
A potent storm system in the Mediterranean Sea spread heavy rain across the country's Mediterranean coast early this week. As the storm moved inland, it coincided with the high tides to produce the extraordinary flooding in Venice.
"The southerly wind off the Adriatic Sea enhanced the flooding by pushing more water inland in the same way a tropical storm or hurricane causes a storm surge," AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Brugnaro, officially declared Venice a disaster zone and was asking the government for help in recovering. He also cited climate change and an incomplete offshore barriers project as the causes.
On Twitter, the mayor said there was extensive damage around the city and said that city "was on its knees."
Sea water filled St. Mark's Square and flooded St. Mark's Basilica for the sixth time in 1,200 years, the last time being in October of 2018, according to Reuters.
Brugnaro said that the St Mark's Basilica had suffered "grave damage."
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called the flooding in Venice a "disaster" and said it was "a blow to the heart of our country."
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte surveys the flooding in Venice on Wednesday. (Photo/Giuseppe Conte/Facebook)
"It hurts to see the city so damaged, its artistic heritage compromised, its business activities on its knees," he said.
After visiting the area, Conte said he will return to Rome on Thursday for a Council of Ministers meeting where he will request a state of emergency. He also said the government was ready to allocate funds to help accelerate structural solutions to the ongoing maintenance of barriers and hydraulic systems.
Significant damage to many hotels, as well as the loss of electricity, was reported by the head of the Venice hotel association. Visitors on ground levels were evacuated to higher floors.
One video showed a man going for a nighttime swim in the floodwaters around St. Mark's Square.
Tuesday night, there were several fires triggered by the flooding, including one at the International Gallery of Modern Art Ca’ Pesaro.
In addition to Venice, heavy rains from the same Medicane caused flooding in towns across southern Italy, as well as in Croatia in Slovenia.
"Despite [the] Medicane coming to an end, another storm is likely to continue the stormy pattern at the end of the week," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Additional heavy rainfall and coastal flooding through the weekend could exacerbate flooding issues across Venice.
Download the free AccuWeather app for a more detailed forecast for your exact area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo