High Tides Inundate Venice; Worse Expected

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Tourists and Venetians have donned high boots and taken to raised walkways to slosh through the high water that has hit the lagoon city, with even higher tides expected.

Venice’s tide forecast office said the water level peaked at 1.27 meters (about 4 feet 3 inches) Tuesday morning but warned that an even higher tide was forecast for after nightfall.

The high water invaded cafés and stores. As a precaution, authorities closed nursery schools.

Many hotels keep disposable knee-high plastic boots handy for tourists. Venetians’ wardrobes often include over-the-knee rubber boots.

Bad weather has dogged Italy lately, with near-daily downpours drenching much of the country.

Meteorologists predicted more heavy rain for late Tuesday, especially in the northeast, which includes Venice, as well as in Sicily and elsewhere in the south.