This might come as a shocker but Venice’s famous canals have dried up completely for the second time in three years! The reason behind this sudden incident is a low tide and lack of rain which brought water levels down to a depth never-witnessed before.
One of the prime attractions of Venice is the gondola rides here and it’s really hard to imagine the city without its iconic boat rides. But this weekend turned out to be a nightmare for gondolas as they were stuck in muddy, dried-up canal beds after the water level dipped to a worrisome level.
According to the local news reports, the water levels dipped 19 inches below sea level on Saturday. And forecasters expect the tide to drop even lower this week. The phenomenon is related to the February full moon or the snow moon. Full moons are the reason behind such noticeable fluctuations in the tides of the Venice lagoon.
As per Venice authorities, “On the days of new moon and full moon, the effects of sun and moon result in the highest tidal fluctuations.”
Venice experienced a somewhat similar situation back in 2018 January. The water levels fell to a low point 26 inches below sea level. But the all-time low record was set in February 2008 when the water levels dipped to minus 33 inches.
Being one of the prime tourist destinations in Italy, Venice welcomes more than five million tourists every year. But the city had to shut down tourism because of a series of COVID-19 lockdown measures.
