After weeks of observing the cold waves that have plagued Canada, the United States, and East Asia, winter is finally showing its harshest face on the European continent. From France to Germany, passing through the Netherlands, the Arctic cold reaches the coasts with widespread snowfall. And now it's Italy's turn.
"We're entering a much more dynamic and cold phase that will plunge us into the heart of true winter," confirms Federico Brescia, meteorologist at iLMeteo.it. The drastic change in weather has already begun in the last few hours with the arrival of cold northerly currents that have hit northern Italy, where temperatures have dropped below freezing in many plains. The first snowfalls are expected at medium-low altitudes between Romagna, northern Marche, and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.
The Tyrrhenian cyclone
Attention is focused on January 6th and 7th, when a deep cyclone will form over the central and lower Tyrrhenian Sea. The vortex, fueled by frigid air, will trigger a sharp deterioration in weather, with heavy rainfall in the central and southern regions and a significant drop in temperatures.
Snow could fall to the valley floors or locally to the plains in Romagna, inland Tuscany, and the Marche region. In Abruzzo, Molise, and inland Lazio, flakes will whiten the hilly areas, while the far south will maintain higher snow levels, above 800-1000 meters. The northwestern regions will remain sheltered from the main precipitation, with only light snowfall or scattered snowfall in Friuli and Veneto.
Stormy winds and rough seas
The low pressure system over the Tyrrhenian Sea will unleash a violent cyclonic rotation of winds with locally stormy gusts. A strong Bora will hit the northeastern coasts as far as the Marche, a strong Tramontana will blow over Liguria, and a strong Mistral will blow over Sardinia and Sicily. The remaining southern regions will be hit by strong westerly currents, causing very rough seas.
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Day-by-day forecasts
Monday, January 5: Increasing clouds in the North, scattered showers in Central Italy and Campania, including northern Calabria.
Tuesday, January 6 (Epiphany): Possible low-level snow in Emilia-Romagna and locally in the Triveneto region. Rain and snow on the hills in Central Italy; scattered showers in the South.
Wednesday, January 7: Sunny in the north with more clouds in Romagna. Heavy rain and snow in the hills of central Italy, rain and thunderstorms in the south with snow in the mountains.
The trend for the following days foresees further rain and a gradual rise in temperatures starting from the weekend.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The coming winter looks to be quite severe, but I'm not sure if that's fair to say. The forecast calls for cold and snow, but I hope it won't be too long like last year, which brought so many problems.