Venice canals

The tides will change, and it will rain, between now and May--now worries.

Thank you for the fast reply. Much appreciated. Unless others have reason to believe it will not rain enough by May I will go to Venice as planned.

I read the same and am slightly concerned about my March trip!!

It might not be much better. I just saw an article on record low water levels at Lake Garda,

Some times, you just can't win. For years, the Acqua Alta has damaged Venice. So much so that they spent billions building the Mose flood control barrier. Now, not enough water in the canals! A few years ago, i was there during Acqua Alta and transportation was curtailed because the water as too high. Vaporetti could not get under the bridges on the Rio Cannaregio.

The main canals will be OK, some smaller side canals might be impacted. It's the only way to get around, don't cancel your trip.

The canals are tidal, At some points they flood (acqua alta) and at some points they are very low (alta bassa).
Here are live cams of Venice you should look at:

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/veneto/venezia.html

Doesn't look to me like there's much to worry about.

Let's make some clarifications:
- canals touched by very low tide are mainly small side canals where only gondolas and small boats can go through; pubblic transport (vaporettos, alilaguna etc.) runs along the gran Canal and in the portion of lagoon around Venice where the sea level is high enough.
- low tide is not necessarily due to lack of rain but it's the consequence of several factors such as high atmospheric pressure, (very common in this period), and of course the influence of the moon. Just to make a comparison: this past summer was one of the driest in years but the water level in the canals was normal.
My biggest concern for the next spring and summer, if It will not rain, is just the possibility of water restrictions.

This past weekend we had the New Moon.
When there are New Moons or Full Moons we have "Spring Tides", which means that high tides are higher than normal and low tides are lower than normal.
There was also high pressure over Italy. High pressure acts like a lid on the sea level (low pressure does not that is why we have sea surge during hurricanes, i.e. with extreme low pressure, in Florida).
Rivers are also lower than usual in Northern Italy, since there was some drought this year, so the rivers didn't pour as much water into the lagoon.
Nobody knows if the same circumstances will occur simultaneously when you go. But you can check the moon phases online. If there is no full moon or new moon when you go, then we will have a "neap tide", which means that low tides won't be as low, and high tides won't be as high.

I was in Venice 2 weeks ago (full moon) and there was low tide. But did not affect me at all and the photos I took are still ok :-)

is just the possibility of water restrictions

My biggest concern is that around 30% of the energy we produce is hydro-electricity and that's practically 80% of the energy we are not forced to import from abroad.

We would need 50 days of rain on all northern Italy to keep dams and reservoirs replenished. Something that, to the delight of tourists, won't happen.

Yikes, Dario and Tobia. I guess there IS something to be concerned about but not what Marion is thinking. :O(

As a soon-to-be on my seventh RS tour , I generally embrace the adaptive “go-with-the-flow”, “the-glass-is-half-full” perspective and have always had happy travels. The notion of venturing into Venice, its canals and lagoon this Spring, however, would give me pause. The anticyclone weather pattern this region is experiencing could last a month or longer. Italy’s snow deficit is at 45 percent and the Po River currently holds 61% less water than normal at this time of year.

Venice is a beautiful and unique city but one of its quirks is a sewer system that still leaks raw sewage into the canals, relying on water levels and twice-a-day tides as a flush valve. Locals being interviewed on EU television news are admitting their city stinks like never before. And several expressed some worries about the ability of water ambulances to reach people in need. “The-canals-are-half-full !” might be the mantra for the truly chipper tourist this Spring.

To all of you who have answered my concerns I thank you so much for your replies and advice. This forum is the best! We will skip Venice this year and save it for a more favorable time.

Marion, in short you have read all the above posts about tides and high pressure... And you have decided that the smaller canals will be dry in May?

Yes, I have read all the posts and decided to save Venice for another time. Again, thank you for taking the time to reply.

It’s interesting one item in planning a May trip to Venice - the financial commitment - goes unmentioned. How many non-refundable dollars are at risk if a trip is fully booked, ticketed and paid for in the hope things will improve in Venice? A non-refundable Premium Economy seat - mid-May MIA-VCE costs $ 2,686 on United. Add another $ 300 for fully refundable. Land accommodations are a separate question. A costly roll of the dice?

Yes, it’s possible lunar phases, “neap tides", and acqua alta and bassa will all be in perfect May alignment for a moonlit gondola ride, senza odore di feci. The earlier reassurance … “and it will rain…no worry” is dubious. “The drought has nothing to do with it," Marine researcher Georg Umgiesser, with Italy’s National Research Council, told weather website MeteoWeb. "Rainfall doesn’t affect tide levels." A “Keep On Travelin’ “ dilemma for sure.

I appreciate all the people that are freaked out about the canals. Less people in Venice this summer. Thank you.

Roberto thanks for the thorough info on tides, moon phases, and atmospheric pressures..fascinating,. I never considered the effect of pressure on water levels but makes sense.