The canals of Venice: – Almost dried up

Usually the Italian tourist gem Venice is in the news because of flooding, but now it’s the opposite.

Pictures show colorful gondolas and boats lying in the mud at the bottom of the city’s canals. The 150 channels are exposed to a rare low tide and are on the way to dry up, writes Bloomberg.

This has made traffic and navigation in the city difficult for residents and tourists. It also hampers the emergency services, as the fire brigade and ambulance personnel depend on boats.

The cause of the drought is complex. One reason is that Italy has had little rain recently, which has dried up rivers and lakes in northern Italy, writes The Guardian.

But that is not the main reason. January and February are traditionally low tide months in Venice. It is especially wind and high pressure that, in the main, have the greatest influence on raising or lowering the tide, writes the Italian climate newspaper Air conditioner icon

According to the newspaper, the main reason is now high pressure, sea currents and a full moon.

A high pressure area is an area where the air pressure is higher than in the surroundings at the same height above sea level, according to Store norske lexikon. Strong winds from the south have also contributed to the low water.

Although the water level has dropped a lot, up to 70 centimeters below sea level, it is the duration of the low water that is exceptional, according to Air conditioner icon. By comparison, the water level was more than 50 centimeters below sea level for 48 hours in 2005, according to News.com.au.

Now the low water level has lasted since the beginning of February.

Although it is expected that the canals will remain dry for a while, all hope is not lost, according to the local newspaper The Voice of Venice. The weather situation is expected to change from Wednesday, and with that the city’s residents are hoping for more water in the canals.