Good 39 years agoprecisely in these days and in these hours, theItaly was preparing to experience one of the coldest and snowiest winter phases of the last century. a wave of Siberian frost In fact, it caused an unprecedented climate breakdown that affected a large part of our country, from North to South, putting it to the test, in a ice and snow trap.
But what exactly happened in those days, from Epiphany until January 15/16, 1985?
January 5 An outbreak of frozen air of Arctic origin hit Italy, in a “double attack”, both from the Rhône Valley and from the Bora Gate. The contrast between the cold air and the warmer air of the Mediterranean Sea caused the formation of a orographic minimum in the Ligurian Gulfcausing a worse of the time above Lower Valpadana, Liguria AND tuscanyThis last region being the one affected by the first snowfalls, up to the coasts of VersiliaWhile real snow storms hit Liguriaespecially the Riviera di Ponente, with accumulations also of 10/20 cm to the coast.
January 6th The wave of bad weather also extended to south-central Italy. Snow fell all the way to the plains. straight, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Calabria, basilica and even in theIsland of Ischia.
January 7thThanks to the clear sky and the presence of snow on the ground, the temperature literally plummeted in Genoa, reaching -7°C in the city, with minimum values of up to -24°C inside of Savona AND Genoa.(Bormida Valley). Record negative temperature in Albenga with -12.4°C and at the weather station Cape Mele, with -4.5 °C. Think about itTosco-Emilian Apennines Record values were reached around -30°C! January the 8th Snow continued to fall in Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria and Campania, but especially in the central-eastern Po Valley; on the peaks of Trentino Alto Adige -30°C to Dobbiaco and of -15ºC to Bolzanowhile in Veneto the mercury dropped to -23ºC to ampezzo curtain, -27ºC to Saint Stefano di Cadore AND -31ºC about him Pordoi Pass.
January 9th New snowfall hit the tuscanywith accumulations of snow on the ground near 40 cm above Florence and well 80 cm in the Cecina Valley. TO Bologna, a new intense snowfall covered the city with another 30 cm of white blanket. The white queen continued to descend even higher. Romewhile in Abruzzo Accumulations exceeded more than half a meter along valley bottoms and more than three figures in the mountains. A historic snowfall also affected the Sardiniawith 10/15 cm lowered to Cagliari and on a large part of the island’s coasts. In the interior there were real snow storms with accumulations of 50/60 cm and more than 1 meter of snow in the mountains!
Since January 10 There was a temporary improvement in the weather in the north and the first clearings also in Tuscany, Liguria and Valpadana, which was precisely what caused a intense cooling during the following nights. Instead, the snow returned only in the Sicilywhitening the coasts of Punta Raisi and the Palermo area.
January 11/12 Temperatures dropped to -10°C in Florencebut immediately outside the city the values fell down to -23°C in the Tuscan basins more subject to nocturnal temperature inversions. He also highlighted -20°C in Arezzo and -13°C in Pisa. the river froze arno.
In Valpadana there was a night of record frost -19°C to Brescia AND veronavalues that wrote the history of meteorology, surpassing the new cold record of February 15, 1956.
The intense frosts did not even spare Lazio, with Rieti at -20 °C AND Frosinone at -19°C. The weather station Rome Ciampino set the all-time record for -11ºC and that of City of Rome down to -9.8°C; about him Lazio Coast there was an absolute record of –7.8°C recorded at the weather station Rome Fiumicino.
January 13thThere was a new worsening of the weather throughout the North, causing one of the most intense and copious historical snowfalls of the last century. On the contrary, in the center, very mild syrocal currents caused a sharp increase in temperatures, up to 15°C, with a sharp increase in snow in the mountainous areas. However, up there it continued to snow heavily. Liguria, Valpadaña, Emilia Romagna AND Triveneto.
From January 14 to 16 A real war broke out in northern Italy. snow cyclone with central low depression over the Corsican Sea which caused the hot sirocal air to slide over a frozen cushion placed on the ground (especially in Valpadana), favoring one of the most intense and spectacular snowfalls of the last century: in just 48 hours they fell 20/30cm of snow a Genoa, 30/35cm to verona AND Venice, 40/45cm to Udine, Treviso AND padua, 55/60cm to Vicenza, 60cm to Belluno AND Varese And till 70cm in Como.
On the night of January 14 to 15, more than 70 cm in Milan and even 130/140 cm in Trento. Meanwhile, the very mild rising sirocco was about to reach northern Italy as well, but snow was still falling on the plains above. Lombardy AND trentino bringing the total accumulation to 1 meter in Milanto 120 cm in Como It’s in 160 cm in Trento.