Snowstorm Covers St. Peter's Basilica!

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
6 Feb 2012

Snow falling outside Domus Australia

Heavy snow has fallen throughout Europe including Rome where snowfalls have covered St Peter's Square. For the relatively small numbers of tourists in Rome at this time it was a rare sight. Although there were light falls two years ago it has been 25 years since heavy falls in the Italian capitol.  While many people took advantage of photographing the famous tourists sites under a blanket of snow other parts of Italy were isolated by heavy snow. Many villages in the north of Italy were experiencing freezing temperatures while some had lost all power.

Parts of the Venice lagoon have frozen over and a violent snowstorm caused a ferry near Rome to hit a breakwater which tore a 25 metre hole in the ship's side. The 262 passengers on board were safely evacuated. However the cold and snow causing roofs to collapse has resulted in seven deaths in Italy.

Snow in the courtyard of Domus Australia

Other parts of Eastern Europe have suffered further deaths and damage.

People have died in Poland, Bosnia, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Austria and Greece.

In all 260 people are known to have died as a result of the cold snap and snowstorms. Roads, airports and train services have been stopped or reduced in many areas with many governments establishing temporary shelters for stranded people. Hundreds of people have also been hospitalised with hypothermia.

Even England, which is affected by a different weather system is experiencing the cold snap with London's Heathrow airport, the world's busiest in terms of international passenger traffic, cancelling 50 percent of their flights due to heavy snow and freezing fog.