Snow in the Eternal City has always been a special event. Not only because this phenomenon is not repeated every year, but also because the grandiose cultural monuments covered with a soft white veil are a truly unrivaled sight. I will try to tell you everything I know about the real winter "Roman vacation."
Why does snow rarely fall in Rome?
Rome is a city located about 30 km from the sea on the Tyrrhenian coast of the central part of the Italian peninsula (in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea). It is this situation on the world map that explains why snow falls there so rarely.
From the point of view of macrogeography, the western part of Europe is known to have a very soft climate because of the warm sea current of the Gulf Stream - it comes from the Gulf of Mexico and warms the North Atlantic waters. Thus, the western part of the mainland is made more “tender” in the cold season relative to the hardened East European regions.
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Local factors also play a significant role in the rare occurrence of snow. The Italian Tyrrhenian side at low altitudes is quite "immune" to snow. For example, when cold air arrives in the republic from Russia or northeastern Europe, the western part of the peninsula remains under the protection of the Apennines - they act as a barrier that can reduce air humidity. All "winter baggage" in the form of snowfall is unloaded on the Adriatic side of Italy.
On the other hand, when cold air travels in a wider circle, bypassing the alpine arc and at the same time approaching the peninsula from the ports, the classical weather conditions on the Tyrrhenian coast are violated. More or less severely, “glitch” affects the central areas of the party. Although in this case, cold air is much more "softened" than a direct stream.
However, there are rare cases when there is a magical compromise between temperature and precipitation, which can cause snow in the eternal city.
Types of snowfall in Rome
Geographers and meteorologists distinguish 4 possible types of snowfalls in Rome:
- The classic (most frequent) version of snowfall has 3 features. Firstly, the air going to the Tyrrhenian coast is very cold. Passing through the mountain barrier, it maintains the temperature necessary for winter precipitation. Secondly, the cyclone is sent from the north-west of Rome, which contributes to the creation of "productive clouds." Thirdly, the site with the lowest pressure at the land surface is located between the mid-low part of Sardinia (Sardegna) and central Campania (Campania). If all these factors coincide, moderate snow is possible in the northeast and southwest of the capital.
- Icy air comes from the north-east, a minimum of pressure is observed both in the central regions of the republic and on the Tyrrhenian coast. With the occurrence of atmospheric instability, even the appearance of snowstorms is likely.
- The third type of snowfall occurs when the inlet of cold air is located in the north, and the zone of minimum atmospheric pressure in the east (for example, in Venice). In this situation, winter rainfall appears on the high Tyrrhenian hills and can only partially reach the outskirts of Rome. Therefore, this option of weather vagaries for the capital is very rare with almost zero probability.
- The latter configuration is also very rare. It occurs when a cold front moves from France through Liguria and Toscana. And only the coincidence of a huge number of factors can cause short-term snow, quickly turning into rain.
Summing up the situations described above, it is worth noting that Rome, like any major metropolis, is a powerful "thermal island" due to asphalt and a large number of buildings. Therefore, the temperature in the city in the winter is several degrees higher than in the surrounding areas.
Snow history
The earliest meteorological documents attesting to snowfall in Rome date back to 1788. If you believe the papers, then in the period from the end of the XVIII to the beginning of the XX century, winter precipitation did not appear often in the capital - the intervals were from 5 to 30 years.
With the advent of the last century, the situation has changed. Snow fell in the eternal city every 3-4 years. And the time of the Second World War was generally marked by almost annual snowfalls:
- December 1939: snowfall that brought 30 cm of rain.
- December 1940: snow covered Piazza Venezia and the San Saba area. The height of the snow cover was 4-6 cm.
- December 1941: snowfall in the vast territory of the capital. The thickness of the white hat is up to 7 cm.
- January-February 1942: light snow in some areas of the city - Parioli (Parioli), Esedra (Esedra). The amount of precipitation did not exceed 3.3 cm.
- January 1945: snow with icy rain, covering the earth with a three-centimeter cover.
Although 1956 was remembered for severe frosts and long snow. Beginning in January, periodic snowfall continued until mid-March - these events shocked the Italians so much that they were immortalized in songs.
For example, the famous hit of Luigi Lopez and Carla Vistarini of the same name "La nevicata del '56" (Snowfall 56) was performed by Mia Martini at the San Remo festival in 1990, where he won the Critics Award.
The next "significant" visit of the beautiful winter to the capital of Italy took place in 1985. In the first days of January, up to 15 cm of precipitation fell.
Snowfall of 86 years led to the appearance of a white veil, which, however, quickly disappeared due to a rise in temperature.
February 6, 1991 was marked by several hours of beautiful flights of snow flakes. The result: stunning landscapes of snowy Rome captured in photographs.
The winters of 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010 also brought periodic snowfalls with them, but their consequences were extremely imperceptible.
The penultimate significant snow fell in the capital in February 2012, when the city was covered with a weighty “hat”. Between February 3 and 4, the height of snow cover in the northern areas of the city reached 20 cm.
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Snowfall February 26, 2018
For almost 6 years the Eternal City has lived without climatic fluctuations and for the last 5 of them I dreamed of seeing snow in Rome! The stories and memories of the locals excited my heart romance.
And on February 26, 2018, I woke up in a winter fairy tale. Some unknown force woke me up at 4 in the morning, forced me to go to the window and scream: “He is coming!”. Having gathered quickly, we went to the city center by tram, though it took about an hour to wait.
Heavy snowfall at night and in the morning brought 10 to 15 cm of rainfall. As it turned out, the uncharacteristic weather was caused by a massive cold front moving from Siberia. Some Western media dubbed him the "Beast from the East." Lowering the temperature to - 9 degrees occurred quite sharply. The paradox of the situation was added by the fact that exactly the day before that we had arrived from Krasnoyarsk.
Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi ordered the closure of public schools. Many private establishments have followed suit. Utilities deployed about 190 pieces of equipment and involved nearly 1,500 people in order to clear the streets of the effects of snowfall. Drivers whose cars were not equipped with winter tires were advised not to drive on the roads - in fact, that’s all, since few people think about such tires.
The Colosseo, the Palatine Hill (Monte Palatino) and the Forum Romanum, and other attractions of the capital, were also closed to visitors.
At several railway stations, authorities made temporary shelters for the homeless and distributed 1,000 blankets. They even opened 1 shelter for heating stray animals.
While the managers were dealing with a sudden problem, the inhabitants and guests of Rome enjoyed the onset of such a rare and short winter. People armed themselves with improvised sleds from plastic bags and rode from the hills. The more agile managed to get their skis and ice.
And, of course, many great photos and videos were created in the most picturesque places of the city. These days, the hashtags #nevearoma and #snow in Rome have become the most popular on Instagram.
Photo report
On our official Facebook page you can see a large album with a collection of photos of snowy Rome in different years. I will publish here the most characteristic pictures so that you at least feel a little about the uniqueness of this event.
Pantheon and Piazza Navona.
Altar of the Fatherland (Altare della Patria) and the snowy square of Venice.
And here I am happy with my wife Yana. I confirm that it was a little cool in sneakers, while Yana strategically took a hat from Siberia.
Empty and very beautiful Capitoline Square - when will we see it like that again?
Marcus Aurelius also got snow cover.
The sculptures of the fountain of 4 rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) in Piazza Navona also did not deprive the snow of attention.
Scooter drivers decided to stay home that day.
Park Benedetto Cairoli (Parco De La Piazza Benedetto Cairoli) near Argentina Square was fabulously beautiful!
And so it looked like an ordinary street in the area at 10 am - no one went to work.
The next day, February 27, I went for a run to Villa Doria Pamphilj, where I was waiting for the blue sky and snow-covered pine trees. My dream came true, thanks Rome!
Video
Video recordings of our live broadcasts from snowy Rome can be viewed at the links:
- Forum and Colosseum - over 88 thousand people watched it.
- What the Pantheon looked like
