Snow chaos on highways, flooding in Venice, floods in the south and vessels in distress - the winter shows perseverance and Italy has once again fully under control. But not only Italy, given the erratic weather moans in March, because it might actually now in the Mediterranean countries has become something spring.
The stormy Deep is Andrea, and it is already the fifth "snow waves" of the season in the boot state: Incessantly it snowed more than 24 hours long in the north of the country. In the Apennine area on Wednesday morning had already fallen more than 60 inches of snow, reported "Autostrada per l'Italia" - and again a couple of feet ahead, forecasters said for the day. "A winter that just will not end," complains "La Stampa". For further lows are on the march.
But not only Italy, given the erratic weather moans in March, because it might actually now in the Mediterranean countries has become something Spring: The huge white snow belt stretches from the Spanish holiday island of Majorca, which is shrouded in white, to Croatia. There, the snow is piled high in some areas, 70 centimeters, with winds of more than 150 kilometers per hour.
The recent "snow waves" in Italy, the country smoothly cut into two halves: The winter wonderland covered by the Alps to the east of Rome Abruzzi everything, farther south, heavy rain brought the threat of new flooding and landslides with it.
Hundreds of motorists stopped on the A24 from Rome to L'Aquila stuck in the snow and cold at night, had to spend hours in their vehicles. "It is unbelievable that the highway was not closed, we spent all night here," infuriated the passenger of a bus stranded in the snow. Meanwhile, dozens of motorists had blocked in Umbria are accommodated in hotels.
In the severe winter storm was at Taranto in southern Italy, a Bulgarian cargo ship aground. For the 19-member crew and the cargo that there is no danger of appeasing the Apulian coast guard.
Toxic cargo was loaded against a ship, which ran off Sardinia in distress and had to be towed into the port of Arbatax. In Trieste, the Bora wind-swept, meanwhile, with top speeds of 120 kilometers per hour, so much that had to close the port.
The Italian authorities also made the Marconi airport in Bologna close. Nothing left. In many communities of Tuscany, had in Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Marche and Abruzzo, the children from school again - for the umpteenth time this winter, towering snow mountains blocking the way to school.
France also has the snowiest winter since about three decades, not quite behind him. In Corsica, after heavy rains were still 6000 homes without electricity and cut off many villages from the outside world. School buses were stopped. The Provence is still suffering from the cold wave.
In Mallorca's capital Palma thick flakes fell on Wednesday even at sea level, and in the Tramuntana Mountains in the northwest of the island, half a dozen of roads due to snow and icy roads are blocked. And also on the Spanish mainland, the heaviest snowfalls in a decade more worried for injuries: 70 000 households were still on Wednesday on the Costa Brava in the dark.