Venice Flood Warnings

ABOVE: Maggie, a dog in Venice, checks water levels in the Piazza San Marco.

By Durant Imboden

Flooding, called "acqua alta" or "high water," is a fact of life in Venice. It occurs when an unusually high tide (aided by low atmospheric pressure and southerly winds) pushes water from the Adriatic Sea into the Venetian Lagoon.

Acqua alta seldom lasts more than a few hours, and while it isn't dangerous, it can annoying--especially if you're traveling without boots or need to roll luggage through flooded streets.

In the past, acqua alta occurred mostly from late fall to early spring. Today, with ocean levels rising, flooding can happen at any time of year, so we suggest looking at these articles and warning tools before your visit:

Acqua Alta
Our illustrated article has background information, photos, firsthand reports, and advice on what to expect and do during acqua alta.

The Sound of Sirens
Learn about the warning sirens that Venice activates when an acqua alta is expected. (This page is from our archived Venice Travel Blog.) You can hear La Repubblica's recording of the sirens in a YouTube video.

City of Venice: Tide Forecast
This Italian-language page from the Comune di Venezia shows anticipated high and low tides for the next several days.

hi!tide Venice (iOS)
hi!tide Venice (Android)
Download a free tide-forecast app for your iPhone or Android smartphone.

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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