Venice canals run dry as lingering weather system mires tides, and Alps snow shortage fuels concerns for Italy's summer

February 23, 2023

Rome — Venice has long been known for its perennial flooding, but now it's facing the opposite problem: A long stretch of atypically low tides have left the ancient city with low water and dry canals, making many of its famous waterways unnavigable for the iconic gondolas and other boats that ply its waterways.

While Venice's water woes are being blamed on a high-pressure weather system that has lingered for weeks over Western Europe, they come as environmental groups warn the Alps have received less than half of their normal snowfall this winter, prompting concern Italy could face another summer of dry rivers.

Italian environmental association Legambiente sounded the alarm earlier this week, warning the Italian Alps are currently packing about 53% less snow compared to the average over the last 10 years. That's worrying, as snow is an important source of water in the spring and summer, when it melts and flows downstream to help ensure water supplies in the months when they're most needed.

For more than two weeks, an anti-cyclone weather system across western Europe has brought mild temperatures more typical of the late spring than mid-February.