venice- flooding

Check your travel dates and see if it will be a full moon or new moon during your time in Venice. The tides have a large part to do with it, and when combined with a steady wind from the southeast pushing water up the Adriatic, you get aqua alta. The locals pretty much ignore it as a fact of life unless it is extraordinarily high. Normal aqua alta turns Piazza San Marco into a giant Slip-N-Slide for a couple of hours and the kids love it.

Venice routinely floods now...more than 100 days per year see tides that flood the city to some extent. So I guess it's about a 30% chance you'll see some flooding?

Although the frequency has increased in the last 60 years
http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/2968

however the probability of acqua alta in May is not very high
http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/2973

Also the phenomenon lasts only a few hours and it affects only the parts of the city that are lower. At 110cm only 12% of the city is affected (mainly piazza San Marco)
http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/1754

Leave your boots at home.

May 2014 full moon is the 14th. Venice should be flood free.

The full and new moons are when the tides are highest (moon is aligned with the earth and sun). The half moon phases the tides will be lowest.

Something else to consider for when you are there. There is a free app for iPhones called "hi!tide Venice" that gives up to date info on the flooding in various parts of the city. It gives a 2 day forecast on what will be happening so you can plan on what areas to avoid and stay dry till they recede. I do not know if it is available for android devices.

We visited Venice this past mid-May and were greeted with above the ankle flooding when we alighted from our water taxi. The best advice is to pack light using luggage that you can carry above the water. Another thing to remember is that water is a way of life in Venice and you just need to go with whatever happens. Some of our favorite pictures of our trip are of us dealing with the flooded walkways. Your time in Venice is limited so just have fun. Remember, attitude is everything!

A time-lapse video of a flooding of St Mark's Square can be found at:

http://www.italymagazine.com/news/high-tide-venices-st-marks-square-timelapse-video