Acqua Alta or ‘high waters’ is a seasonal phenomenon in Venice. The term is used to refer the exceptionally high tides that occur in the northern Adriatic Sea. The peaks reach their maximum in the Venetian Lagoon and causes flooding in coastal cities Venice and Chioggia.
The phenomenon occurs annually in November and December, when seasonal winds drive strong high tides up canals, through drains, and into the streets of the city.
Venice, built on a cluster of small islands, has always lived with tides that usually create variations of around 50 cm in sea levels but which can sometimes be more extreme, such as the ones experienced last month.
Climate scientists note that exceptional tides – those over 4 feet – have become much more frequent in the past two decades.
Of the 20 exceptional tides recorded since 1936, more than half have occurred after the year 2000.
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