Snow in Tuscany, the forecast for April 25th The Tyrrhenian Sea

In the province of Lucca the flakes also fell below 500 metres, in particular in Petrognano, in the Piazza al Serchio area. It has been snowing in the Tuscan Apennines since the evening of Sunday 21st April practically without interruption: in Val di Luce by mid-day on Monday 22nd April there had been 50 centimeters of snowfall.

Rare event

If it is true that snow in April – especially above a thousand meters – is not an absolute novelty, it is equally true that a snowfall of this magnitude, and capable of reaching such low levels, can be classified as a rare event . Almost historic. And it didn’t end here. In the mountains we are thinking of reopening the plants for Thursday 25 April, while farmers begin to count the damage due to snow, hail and unseasonal cold.

Prediction

It will continue to be cold. Temperatures will remain below the average for the period at least until the end of the week. And the snow will continue to fall abundantly in the mountains. The Tuscan Apennines can cover more than a meter of snow. On Tuesday 23 April snow could even fall on the hills in various areas of the region. The general context remains unstable. It is therefore difficult to say exactly where the phenomena will be located. The Apennine chain will certainly receive a sensational further dose of snow. Minimum temperatures of 3-6 degrees await us in the plains, even lower in the internal valleys, where killer frosts cannot be ruled out for flowering plants and trees, already put to the test by the hail and graupeln that fell on several occasions and in different areas of Tuscany between Thursday 18th, Saturday 20th, Sunday 21st and Monday 22nd April. And still probable on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 April. Temperatures are expected to rise again starting Friday 26 March.

What is graupeln or round snow

Since Thursday 18 April there have been several episodes of hail in the plains of Tuscany. In some cases instead of hail it was graupeln, or round snow. Which may fall again on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 April in various lowland areas. Graupeln or round snow is a solid precipitation made up of white, opaque grains of ice, with a diameter between 2 and 5 mm, which have a spherical or conical shape and are easily compressible. When they fall to the ground they bounce a little and crumble easily. It is not difficult to mistake graupeln for hail, given that it is very often associated with storm systems and ground temperatures generally above 0°C, with values ​​on average around 6/9°C. Unlike hail, although similar at first sight, round snow has different characteristics: graupeln has an opaque white colour, unlike hail which instead appears white and shiny. Another difference between round snow is that it is compressible, malleable and tends to crumble between the fingers, unlike hail which has a more solid composition.

The agriculture alarm

The end of April with a purely winter flavor puts the agriculture sector in crisis. Coldiretti raised the alarm. Snow and hail on the vineyards already in full awakening and on the meadows ready to be mowed, while beekeepers, due to the cold, are forced to emergency feed to avoid the death of the bees. There is maximum alert among farmers – we read in a note from Coldiretti – after the collapse of temperatures in Tuscany which brought snow even to low altitudes together with some hail events in the Siena and Arezzo areas. «The great concern is about late frosts which risk compromising the next harvests. The summer temperatures well above the seasonal average recorded in the first 15 days of April – continues Coldiretti – have accelerated the budding of the plants and the birth of the first fruits which are now in a very delicate phase of their growth. The sudden drop in the mercury column risks in fact “burning” the flowers, compromising the vegetal development of the plant. In danger are vines, olive trees, fruit trees and vegetables in the open field with the seedlings that have been planted. The bad weather is fueling more than one concern even among farmers who were hoping for a generous hay harvest: the presence of snow in the meadows and pastures – writes Coldiretti – could damage the first cut of alfalfa essential for feeding the animals, causing a double damage to companies. There are several reports of patchy hailstorms at Codipra Toscano, the Tuscan consortium for the defense of agricultural production which deals with subsidized insurance against weather and climate risks: the hail hit some vineyards between the Monti a Gaiole in Chianti area and the Arezzo Valdarno. In Garfagnana, in Camporgiano, snowflakes have enveloped the heroic vineyards of a company that now fears for the new gems. Beekeepers are on alert and are resorting to emergency nutrition to save families who cannot find anything to eat outside the hives. Unseasonal snow as well as late frosts are phenomena linked to the climate crisis which manifests itself with a higher frequency of extreme events, seasonal shifts, short and intense rainfall and the rapid transition from sunny to bad weather. Agriculture – concludes Coldiretti Toscana – is the economic activity that more than any other experiences the consequences on a daily basis.”