Cold snap easing but new wave of bad weather from Friday

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 15 - The cold snap that has brought snow to many parts of Italy is easing but a new wave of bad weather will hit the Bel Paese starting Friday, weathermen said Wednesday.
    "While the Azores anticyclone continues to rule the weather in much of Europe and favor the influx of air of Arctic extraction in Italy, the cyclone that caused widespread snowfall up to low altitudes in our country is moving away towards Greece," said Lorenzo Tedici, meteorologist of the site www. iLMeteo.it.
    "But, before the weekend, a Mediterranean cyclone is arriving, more intense in the South and on the islands.
    "Today (Wednesday) the weather will be mostly stable and with precipitation only over Sicily, in the meantime another nucleus of cold air will make its way from the Balkans, weaker than the previous one, which in its movement towards Sardinia will reinvigorate an active depression circulation over Algeria.
    "From here a Mediterranean cyclone will come to life which, especially from Friday, will begin to negatively influence the weather in some regions and then affect a large part of Italy over the weekend.
    "The cold winds of Grecale will continue to blow persistently at least until Thursday, after which, in the central and southern regions they will be replaced by those of Sirocco that rotate around the cyclone.
    "For this reason, temperatures will tend to increase in at least half of Italy, both in maximum and minimum values. The climate will still remain rather cold in the North where the winds will always blow from the north-eastern quadrants. Over the weekend the cyclone will impact Italy. It will rain persistently in particular in Sardinia, Sicily, Calabria and then also in Campania, Abruzzo, Molise and Lazio. In addition to the rain, the winds will strengthen in the southern basins where storms of Sirocco and Levante are expected with gusts of up to 100 km/h and consequent storm surges on the exposed coasts. The North in this first phase seems to have skipped the bulk of the precipitation and will only see a sharp increase in cloudiness on Sunday".
    Detailed forecast: - Wednesday 15. In the North: all sun and cold. In the Center: gradually more overcast skies. In the South: rain in Sicily, especially in the north, many clouds elsewhere.
    - Thursday 16. In the North: still good weather and cold. In the Center: irregular clouds, rain in eastern Sardinia. In the South: many clouds, rain in Ionian Sicily and Calabria in the evening.
    - Friday 17. In the North: sunny. In the Center: partly cloudy skies, widespread bad weather in Sardinia. In the South: intense bad weather in Sicily and Calabria, rain in Basilicata and Cilento.
    - Outlook: weekend with rain in the Center-South and strong winds. (ANSA).