High Tide Creeps In to San Marco
Venetians are going to their closets to get our the boots. Rainy weather, high winds and high tides have been forecast for this week.
Learning to Read the Tides
As you can see from the chart above (source: ilmeteor.it) that the tides are every 6 hours and if it is at night you may not see much. It creeps in quietly, except for the nerve racking alarm that sounds when it is expected to be a above a certain level. This gives you a warning of how long before the water will be at its max and scares the daylights out of tourists.
The water begins arriving at the lowest spots.
You can download the app for your iphone or android to alert you just like a Venetian.The app makes it easy, just check the places and the icons show you where you’ll need boots of regular shoes. For the technically inclined, you can check by the Altitude of a place against the forecast high tide. Just remember that Piazza San Marco is one of the lowest points in the city at only 80cm (31.4 Inches) above sea level.
hi!tide Venice App
With the scandal of MOSE and recent failures of the system, it seems we will all get to see many more high tides. Truthfully, I like the tides, love sloshing through the water, having my espresso standing ankle deep in water while the world of Venice never misses a beat!
But then I don’t own a restaurant that must sanitize after each high tide or a store that gets water up to the first shelf.
These tables will be surrounded shortly.
Who can resist the beauty of this square, the skies and the colors that change constantly.
San Marco with High Water and Stormy Skies
You can watch this unfold right from your computer by visiting the following webcams in Venice: Web Cam – Venice Italy
Web Cam of the Commune of Venice