Floods hit Venice again, but waters below November peak

The latest surge comes at a particularly inopportune time for the city as it's still reeling from the 1.87-meter-high tide on Nov. 12, which was the highest in more than 50 years.

Venice: The Italian lagoon city of Venice is facing the prospect of more intense floods at a time when it's still counting the cost of the exceptionally high tide that hit it in November.

Though the tide Monday morning peaked lower than expected at 1.44 meters, it remains above the 1.40-meter mark considered exceptional.

The latest surge comes at a particularly inopportune time for the city as it's still reeling from the 1.87-meter-high tide on Nov. 12, which was the highest in more than 50 years.

People wade their way through water in a flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice.

Venice's mayor said the total damage of that swell is set to be around 1 billion euros with houses, businesses, and historic monuments severely hit.

A flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice.

The city restarted its businesses and activities immediately after the exceptional floods, but Venetian hoteliers recently said they are facing a steep rise in the number of reservations canceled following the November flooding.

“I've been living here for more than 50 years and never seen anything like that,” said Toto Bergamo Rossi, director of the cultural foundation Venetian Heritage. “It's more than a month now, this is a prolonged emergency.”

Cafè tables and chairs are partially covered in water during a high tide of 1.44 meters in St. Mark's Square, in Venice.

Officials at the local office that monitors high tides said recent events indicate an increase in their frequency.

A woman wades through high water during a high tide of 1.44 meters in St. Mark's Square in Venice.

Venice attracts more than 25 million tourists each year, and the effects of mass tourism on the fragile lagoon environment have fuelled a decades-long debate on the future of the city.