Freak Winter Weather Is Battering Italy's Cities

The January high tides that often flood St. Mark’s Square in Venice are usually considered a major headache. This year, however, they’ve been greeted as a relief.

Thanks to freak weather across Italy, a lack of rain combined with low tides has led canal water levels to drop by up to 70 centimeters (2.3 feet). In a city whose main thoroughfares are all liquid, this change mattered. Emergency services struggled to make it through some shallower canals, while the unusually low water revealed a city-wide layer of uncleared sludge, rubbish and decaying masonry caused by years of neglected maintenance.