Civil protection authorities have
advised Italians to prepare for extremely cold weather as what
meteorologists have dubbed the 'Epiphany blizzard' threatens to
bring snow and ice to much of the country from Thursday
afternoon.
People are being advised to limit travel as far as possible
particularly in those central and southern regions that normally
see little snowfall.
Motorway management company Autostrade per l'Italia has also
urged motorists to use the "greatest caution" and says it has
already deployed over 600 anti-snow machines and 1,500 operators
to prevent disruption to circulation.
The cold snap is being caused in the first instance by a mass
of extremely cold arctic air blowing down from northeast Europe,
followed by northerly winds that will continue to channel icy
air particularly towards those regions that are less protected
by the Alps.
Snow is forecast even in coastal and lowlying areas in many
parts of the country, including the southern island region of
Sicily.
Temperatures are forecast to reach a minimum on Saturday
before rising again slowly on Sunday.
The main cities bracing for snow include Ancona, Pescara,
Teramo, Chieti, Macerata, Termoli, Campobasso, L'Aquila, Foggia,
Bari, Lecce, Matera, Potenza, Benevento, Avellino, Crotone,
Cosenza and Catanzaro.
Naples, Caserta, Lamezia Terme, Reggio Calabria, Palermo,
Messina, Trapani and Catania may also get a dusting.
In addition strong, icy winds are forecast on Friday in
central and southern regions and on the islands.
In Rome on Thursday, icy wind swept in from Russia and
temperatures were expected to top out on Saturday at a high of
just 3 degrees, with lows plummeting as far as minus 5 degrees.
"These are temperatures we haven't seen in 20 years," said
meteorologist Edoardo Ferrara.
He said Rome may experience a few snowflakes from the
Apennines, carried into the city on strong winds.
Meanwhile in earthquake-hit Amatrice, snow has already
started on Thursday and is expected to continue through the
night and into Friday.
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