Icy winter winds blow out 2014, bring New Year in Italy

(ANSA) - Rome, December 30 - The year 2014 was ending on a very cold note across Italy as Arctic-inspired winds blew from north to south down the peninsula, bringing unusually low temperatures, snow and ice.
    The cold front that kept the thermometer below zero all day Tuesday in the normally temperate capital city of Rome was forecast to linger much of the week, including New Year's Day on Thursday.
    Snow was expected in many parts of east-central and southern Italy where it is not often seen, and civil protection authorities began issuing freezing temperature warnings extending through Wednesday.
    Many parts of central Italy faced a deep freeze on Tuesday, as temperatures dropped as low as -20 degrees Celsius in Abruzzo while snow continued to fall and fierce winds caused train delays along the Adriatic coast.
    High winds blew a tarp onto electrical wires on the train tracks between the Adriatic coastal towns of Ancona and Falconara, delaying trains along the line.
    Temperatures at the Gran Sasso Campo Imperatore ski resort in Abruzzo fell to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees F), where lifts and runs remained closed as a snowstorm with whipping winds battered the area.
    Motorists on the highways in Abruzzo were urged by motorway authorities to use caution when driving the region's A24 and A25 motorways through New Years Eve, as forecasts called for between two to eight inches of snow.
    Meanwhile, in the mountainous central region of Umbria, light snowfall dusted much of the region but concentrated mainly in the capital city of Perugia.
    Further south of Rome in the Molise region, icy rain was reported Tuesday triggering fears that highways would turn to ice during the night as temperatures fell.
    Strong winds through Naples and east into Caserta kept firefighters occupied, chasing flying debris from torn rooftops, broken trees and billboards.
    Not even the island of Sardinia has been spared, as snow was reported there on Tuesday.