Snow in European Cities: Rome Now, London Next

By , Senior Meteorologist
Feb 3, 2012; 12:48 PM ET
Share |
AccuWeather.com Facebook fan Ale M. captured this snowy scene in Cesena, in northeastern Italy. Submitted Friday morning, Feb. 3, 2012.

Frigid air gripping Europe has set the stage for rare snowfall in Rome. One of the major European cities up next to see snow is London.

Snow began mixing with rain in Rome during the early morning hours of Friday. Steadier snow followed during the midday and afternoon hours, especially across northern areas.

The heavy rate of the snowfall held visibility at or below a half of a mile throughout much of the afternoon hours at the Urbe Airport on the city's northeastern side.

Snow is definitely rare in Rome, where afternoon high temperatures typically warm to 53 degrees (F, 12 degrees C) this time of year.

The snow will continue to whiten the city into Friday night, which is delightful news to children and those young at heart. Motorists, however, face more treacherous travel.

As the snowstorm impacting Rome shifts into more of southeastern Europe at the start of the weekend, another snowmaker will begin its trek through the United Kingdom.

Enough cold will be in place for snow to return to London for the first time since December 2010.

Up to a few inches are expected Saturday night, creating hazards for motorists.

Raw Video courtesy of the Associated Press.

Comments

Comments left here should adhere to the AccuWeather.com Community Guidelines. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.

More Weather News

  • What's Next for Beryl?

    May 28, 2012; 12:25 PM ET

    Beryl, with its drenching downpours and locally severe thunderstorms is expected to turn to the northeast, paralleling the Carolina coast during the middle of the week.

  • Severe Flooding in Northwestern Ontario

    May 28, 2012; 10:49 AM ET

    A state of emergency has been declared in the Thunder Bay area after severe flooding struck parts of Ontario's Lake Superior region.

Daily U.S. Extremes

past 24 hours

  Extreme Location
High 100° Smyrna, TN
Low 15° Sunset Crater, AZ
Precip 3.99" Wadena, MN

WeatherWhys®

Hail is much more common during the months of May and June compared to July and August. The main reason is the fact that the freezing level is usually higher during July and August as pockets of cold air in the upper atmosphere are less common as the jet stream weakens and retreats farther north.

This Day In Weather History

Leesburg, Va. (1982)
In Leesburg, a suburb of Washington, D.C., 2.20 inches of rain fell in 15 minutes.

Leesburg, Fla. (1989)
A lightning bolt tore a 4-foot-wide hole in the ceiling of a residential dining room and struck a 9-year-old boy between the shoulder blades. Although injured, the boy survived.

Loading...

5/28/2012 5:17:38 PM /news-entry.asp 7 .75.104 (accuweather)-- [new]