The wave of bad weather that has
hit much of Italy saw acqua alta reach 1.27 metres in Venice on
Tuesday, with much of the city swamped and the narthex of St
Mark's Basilica flooded.
Levels of 100-120 cm above sea level are fairly common
in the lagoon city and Venice is well-equipped to cope with
its rafts of pontoon walkways.
But anything much above 120cm risks swamping much of the
city.
In southern Italy, meanwhile, schools were closed in Matera
and the nearby town of Metaponto was hit by a tornado.
Gale-force winds and torrential rain is also a big problem in
Calabria, where the gusts reached 113 kmph and Puglia.
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