First Snow In Rome Since 1986?
(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading...Well – almost. Read more for a video illustrating the exceptional snowfall of last week, for some reactions, and for a history of snow since 1986.
As you will see from this history below, the snowfall last week has been quite exceptional, and has impacted on the functioning of the city in many ways. La Stampa.it reports that the metro stations are still open for the homeless at night. The Globe and Mail Blog asks whether we can move the Winter Olympics to Rome, and the Ansa.it reports that the training sessions of Rome’s beloved football team Roma have been paused. The cold has even brushed Malta, although the snow hasn’t quite made it there. 
See what snowfall in Rome looked like, here:
The Guardian has contributed a gallery with interesting photos of the occurrence here.
In terms of reactions to the snowfall last week, we have particularly enjoyed Eric Reguly’s article in The Globe and Mail Blog – here is an excerpt:
On Friday morning, while Vancouver was wet and foggy, I had a snowball fight with my daughter Arianna on the streets of Rome. It was an exceedingly rare treat. The last time the Eternal City had snow was 24 years ago.
Romans were astonished. They ran outside with their umbrellas to see orange trees in full bloom, palm trees and cactuses covered in snow. Kids flooded out of their schools to fling snowballs at each other. The snow was wet – perfect for making projectiles.
Read more here: Can we move the Winter Olympics to Rome?
And finally, to illustrate just how exceptional the snow was, here is a history of snow in Rome since 1986 (from Meteo-Net.it):
10/02/1986: At 08:00 heavy snowfall, depth 1 cm. Between 09:00 and 11:00 moderate snowfall, depth 2,8 cm.
11/02/1986: At 08:00 the depth of snow is 23 cm, at 10:00 the snow has melted down to 16,2 cm. It snows some more between 13:30 and 14:00
06/02/1991: It snows from 07:00-09:00, depth 6 cm. From 09:30-10:00 snowstorm, and then rain in the southern parts of Rome.
28/12/1996: From 23:00-02:00 snowstorm, 2 cm depth
11/02/1999: In the morning, it snows in northern Rome. Depth approximately 5 cm.
16/01/2002: From 07:30-09:30 it snows in northern Rome, depth 1-2 cm. From 10:00 onwards icy rain, then rain. Sporadic snowflakes, but without accumulation on the ground.
23/01/2004: Snowfall in the southern parts of Rome from 10:30-14:00, without accumulation on the ground (temperature: 2 °C)
27/01/2005: From 02:00-03:00 it snows in southern Rome. Depth approximately 2 cm.
12/02/2010: Heavy snowfall in the entire city of Rome from 10:30-11:30, then rain. Depth 1-2 cm in the centre of Rome, 4-5 cm in southern parts of Rome.
Let us know how you experienced the snow – in the comments!
Sources: La Stampa.it, The Globe and Mail Blog, The Guardian, Ansa.it, Times of Malta, Meteo-Net.it.
Rate this article by clicking here. (2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)Loading...Add your views/ideas/references below, no need to log in.
Recent Comments