11529 The Weekend Weather

After all the problems, and tragedies, suffered by Spain and France at the end of last week, we here in the North battened down the hatches to await the same fate as all the forecasts showed 'it' was heading for the western, central and northern alpine band...

Well , as luck would have it - [U][I]my[/I][/U] little corner of the Valtellina escaped it. It didn't get over our Alps. But our snow is still lying and that's since been here since late November. Even when we've had a little rain, it's been icy and has fallen as snow just a few meters above us.

But while we've been lucky here - what about those others of you on the Western and Eastern end of the Alps and Dolomites - did it reach you or not?

It doesn't seem possible that in just TWO weeks time the sun, at it's zenith, will finally start to show itself over the peak of the mountain above me again.
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On the 11th February (for just a couple of minutes) that sunlight will be 'on' my roof! That, for me at least, signals the start of the end of winter... The sun reaches the lower parts of the village throughout the winter - when it shines - but for those of us with houses right up close, it's a different matter!
My house is the little bit you can see (coloured apricot) right in front of the trees and tucked behind another roof. As you can see here in this photo (taken in spring) we really are 'up close and personal' with Monte Legnone...

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Category
General chat about Italy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 07:43

Western Alps (and Piemonte) has had plenty which has been bad for my women's football team but good for skiing. Didn't go skiing on Sunday (I rarely do) as there was a level 4/5 avalanche danger (it was 3 in Scotland where they had fatalities) and some of the side valley roads have been cut.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 07:50

I'm afraid that there is another front coming from Spain, will travel through France and will hit Italy later on. This one features not only strong winds and high seas but it is extremely cold as well. Snow again!!! So be prepared.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 07:52

Well here right in the North East where I am at the moment it has been beautiful and today is the same. Blue and sunny, not hot but not that awful minus temperature we have had. Long may it last.
I'm not sure about northern Tuscany as I just read a newspaper article about Barga and several houses on the hilltop suburb of Sommacolonia are in danger of slipping of due to landslides. Also the river near my house has swelled and the bridge connecting Mologno to Gallicano is in danger of collapse. :eeeek:
All that rain probably means I now have a swimming pool in my cantina and I didn't even have to ask permission from the comune. :bigergrin::frown:

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 08:10

LA NAZIONE 26/01/2009 - SARZANA E LUNIGIANA -

ll fiume Magra fa paura. Dalla Lunigiana fino alla foce ha seminato danni e terrore,ingrossato dalla pioggia caduta per 24 ore in fila. Problemi ad Ameglia, Sarzana, Battifoglio, Aulla e Villafranca.

'Our river' but fortunately our home is in an elevated position & neighbours have their 'eye' on her. From Parma this message from bro. today "Qui piove,e piove e ripiove (se non nevica)"

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 10:40

Bit of a hurry with my last message as I had a class. I hope nobody cuts any of those trees down above you Carole! Snow instead of rain is a good thing as it acts as a natural reservoir as long as we don't get a very rapid thaw. I obviously have a different (positive) attitude to snow than many and in my condominio I would say, if anything, that we are too warm!

As for the forecasts, they keep getting them wrong both in respect to the timings and the level at which snow is expected. In the mountains , as Carole has noted, conditions can change markedly over a short distance, and over short periods of time. You often can't see an approaching bank of cloud until it pours over the nearest pass or mountain top. According to the forecast we should have snow at the moment but I can see the clouds to the south and the webcams to the SW show snow. Hmm, the forecast wind is NNE. Webcams are often a good way of tracking the weather.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 11:15

Sue is right, webcams are a great way of seeing if the forecast is changing - it does change, often by the minute...

This is the link to the all the Valtellina webs - the nearest to me is the Valgerola Pescegallo, but that shows us just before lunch today!

[B][URL="http://www.webcam.valtline.it/"]WEBCAM in Valtellina, Engadina, Valposchiavo, Val Mustair, Alta Rezia[/URL][/B]

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 11:23

Here in Calabria, we have been battered by winds and torrential rain for 3 days. Unfortunately last night the build up of water caused a landslide onto the Autostrada at Cosenza, killing two young people.

I imagine the Autostrada will be closed for some time, for those of you traveling this way. Today it has been fine and sunny, but I understand we can expect it again in the morning, so will batten down the hatches again.

Sue