We have always been supporters of the historical memory of our weather because we believe that climatic fluctuations can, sooner or later, trigger extreme events similar to those experienced in distant January 1985. Similar, but not identical, phenomena occurred in February 2012, when temperatures in the Po Valley dropped below 5°F, even reaching -4°F in the plains of Piedmont.
However, on that occasion, snow was scarce in Northern Italy, except for Emilia-Romagna, which was buried under large amounts of snow. The atmospheric circulation of 2012 was very different from 1985.
Despite this, during that February, snow fell in the plains and even on the coasts of many regions in the South, including Sardinia.
Snowfalls were recorded several times in Rome. At that time, there was already talk of climate change, even though Italian winters, especially in the North and in the plains, continued to bring abundant snowfalls, sometimes even at the beginning of spring. Climate change seemed mainly confined to the summer seasons and less evident during winter, although, in an overall view, the average seasonal temperature was already above the reference average.
The summer of 2003 was an example of extreme heat, different from the recent summer seasons, which seem to propose a similar scenario. Each of us could tell a story related to a historical weather event, like that of January 1985. Many were not yet born, others were children, and memories may be confused.
However, that event is still vivid in memory because it represents an extreme event that, according to scientists, could repeat in the future. Intense cold waves, although rare, could occur due to climate changes, and sooner or later we might face something similar, not identical to 1985. Our goal here is to remember that episode, connect it to more recent or past events, observe what is happening in the rest of the world, and analyze hypotheses on possible future scenarios. A significant example is represented by February 2012, when an intense snowfall occurred in a restricted area, causing enormous discomfort to the population and transportation. Emilia-Romagna and Marche were the most affected regions.
In some low mountain locations, around 2000 feet of altitude, over three meters of snow accumulated.
The situation was aggravated by violent winds that lashed the snowfalls. Another less cold, but extremely snowy episode, dates back to two or three years ago, when, along the Adriatic, a Medicane (Mediterranean cyclone) formed, dumping huge amounts of snow in the same areas.
But at low mountain altitudes, not plains. However, such local events tend not to make news unless they cause serious consequences like significant damage or casualties.
From a meteorological point of view, however, it was a significant event. In January 1985, the signs of that historic cold began during Epiphany. On the evening of January 5, the first snow was recorded from Sardinia to Rome, followed the next day by the arrival of a cold core of continental air from Siberia.
Temperatures plummeted below zero widely, with much more intense cold compared to February 2012. Snowfalls immediately occurred in the plains in some areas of the Northeast, particularly in Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche.
In Sardinia, snow fell down to sea level. Subsequently, the real freeze arrived, with daytime temperatures below zero in many Italian locations.
A similar, but short-lived event occurred on December 27, 1996,When Italy was once again hit by the Buran, the icy Siberian wind.
A curiosity, which still today is a source of controversy in the reading of national weather bulletins, concerns the fact that rarely does a cold wave affect the entire Italy with homogeneous thermal anomalies, diminishing every weather event. This happens especially when it snows in some regions due to the formation, as it did then, of low pressures between the Baleares, Sardinia, and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
These atmospheric configurations often result in snowfall in cities like Rome, Florence, and many other locations.
Temperatures of January 5, 1985: the beginning of the great freeze
Here are the temperatures recorded on January 5, 1985, the day the great freeze began:
- Bolzano: 23°F; 28°F
- Turin: 19°F; 32°F
- Cuneo: 17.6°F; 24.8°F
- Milan: 21.2°F; 33.8°F
- Trieste: 24.8°F; 26.6°F
- Venice: 23°F; 28°F
- Bologna: 19.4°F; 28.4°F
- Forlì: 14°F; 33.8°F
- Genoa: 28.4°F; 33.8°F
- Pisa: 28.4°F; 33.8°F
- Florence: 26.6°F; 32°F
- Perugia: 24.8°F; 32°F
- Ancona: 26.6°F; 37.4°F
- L’Aquila: 24.8°F; 35.6°F
- Pescara: 30.2°F; 46.4°F
- Rome Ciampino: 28.4°F; 46.4°F
- Campobasso: 28.4°F; 39.2°F
- Naples: 35.6°F; 51.8°F
- Bari: 37.4°F; 41°F
- Potenza: 30.2°F; 41°F
- Reggio Calabria: 44.6°F; 59°F
In Southern Italy, the cold flow had not yet arrived, as demonstrated by the maximum temperatures above 59°F in several locations.
These values are certainly not indicative of freezing.
However, when the cold does manifest, Southern Italy is particularly exposed to intense cold waves.
Extreme minimum temperatures in the mountains
In Northern Italy, the mountains recorded glacial minimum temperatures:
- Passo Rolle: -3.8°F
- Monte Paganella: -6.5°F
- Monte Cimone: -4°F
In Europe, the temperatures of those days showed a widespread cold, but not extreme in Russia, where in Moscow a minimum of -4°F was recorded, a value far from the -22°F that the city can reach under more intense Buran conditions.
For example, last winter, Moscow and Scandinavia recorded record temperatures not seen in over 35 years.
However, the cold in Moscow can be even more severe: the absolute historical minimum was -43.8°F, recorded on January 17, 1940.
The peak of the freeze in Italy
In Italy, the Siberian freeze consolidated in the following days. Between January 11 and 12, 1985, after the snowfalls and bad weather of January 8 and 9, the weather stabilized with clear skies over much of the Peninsula.
Although temperatures at altitude rose slightly, at sea level and in the plains, the combination of the cold air mass, the absence of wind, and the albedo effect of the snow-covered ground led to record values never recorded before in various locations.
Here are the minimum temperatures recorded on January 11, 1985, a day that marks a historic moment for Italian weather:
- Bolzano: 10.4°F; 35.6°F
- Turin: 10.4°F; 35.6°F
- Cuneo: 19.4°F; 32°F
- Milan: 12.2°F; 23°F
- Trieste: 24.8°F; 35.6°F
- Venice: 10.4°F; 32°F
- Bologna: 3.2°F; 21.2°F
- Ferrara: -2.9°F; 17.6°F
- Piacenza: -2.2°F; 27°F
- Brescia: -2.2°F; 24.8°F
- Padua: -2.2°F; 24.8°F
Genoa: 26.6°F; 32°F
The lowest temperature recorded during that period was -19.84°F, recorded on January 13, 1985, in San Pietro Capofiume, a fraction of Molinella in the province of Bologna.
A Historic Cold Record
These extraordinary values represent the cold record for several locations, at least since the post-war period.
However, in some areas, February 1956 brought even lower temperatures (for example, the -7.6°F recorded in Turin), while in others the record remains from 1929.
Comparisons with the past, however, must be contextualized, as measurement technologies, urbanization, and cementification of urban areas significantly influence the measurements.
In Italy, the effect of thermal inversion is often responsible for such extreme values, unlike in North America, where the cold is accompanied by intense winds that eliminate the effect of the urban heat island.
The cold hit the valleys of Central Italy hard, such as the Aquilano, the Reatino, the Frusinate, and other Apennine areas.
The lowest value was recorded in the Piana del Fucino, with -15.7°F.
Also in the Bolognese Apennines, in the locality of Pracchia, temperatures reached -22°F.
Temperatures of January 12, 1985
The following day, January 12, other extraordinary temperatures were recorded:
- Bolzano: 8.6°F; 26.6°F
- Turin: 8.6°F; 28.4°F
- Cuneo: 17.6°F; 26.6°F
- Milan: 6.8°F; 21.2°F
- Trieste: 26.6°F; 37.4°F
- Venice: 12.2°F; 33.8°F
- Bologna: 10.4°F; 23°F
- Ferrara: -1.66°F; 23°F
- Piacenza: -1.12°F; 28.76°F
- Brescia: -0.4°F; 26.6°F
- Padua: 4.82°F; 23°F
- Genoa: 31.46°F; 41°F
- Pisa: 6.8°F; 35.6°F
- Florence: -9.4°F; 32°F
- Perugia: 3.2°F; 30.2°F
- Forlì: -2.2°F; 28.4°F
- Rimini: 1.4°F; 30.56°F
- Grosseto: 18.68°F; 37.04°F
- L’Aquila: 1.4°F; 21.2°F
- Rieti: -4°F; 17.6°F
- Piana del Fucino: -15.7°F; 4.28°F
- Guidonia: 21.2°F; 39.2°F
- Rome Ciampino: 21.2°F; 35.6°F
- Frosinone: 12.2°F; 33.8°F
- Campobasso: 21.2°F; 30.2°F
- Naples: 28.4°F; 41°F
- Potenza: 15.8°F; 30.2°F
The temperature recorded in Florence (-9.4°F) was particularly significant, surpassing any previous record for the area (the previous record was 9.04°F in January 1968).
A Textbook Weather Event
After the extreme cold, an exceptional weather deterioration hit Italy, bringing abundant snowfalls in the North. In many cities, almost a meter of snow accumulated, while in areas near the hills, the snow coverSnowfall far exceeded that measure.
The Po Valley, particularly Lombardy and southern Trentino, were buried under snow, causing enormous disruptions and marking one of the most memorable winters of the 20th century.
These extreme weather events, such as intense cold spells, could repeat in the future, although we do not know precisely when and where.
However, recent examples of extraordinary phenomena have occurred in countries neighboring Italy, demonstrating that climate change does not eliminate cold waves but can even intensify them under certain conditions.
The Filomena Storm in Spain
A significant example is the historic snowfall that hit Madrid between January 8 and 9, 2021 due to the storm Filomena.
On that occasion, snow accumulations ranged between 12 and 20 inches in the capital, completely paralyzing the city.
The event caused enormous disruptions to traffic and significant damage to the urban tree heritage. It was the most intense snowfall in Madrid in decades, and in the following days, in the suburbs, temperatures dropped to 5°F, values never recorded before.
Despite the context of Global Warming, these events do not contradict global warming, but represent an indirect consequence of it.
The destabilization of the jet stream and changes in atmospheric circulation can favor the descent of cold air masses into unusual regions, amplifying extreme weather.
Cold Waves in Greece
Greece has also experienced significant cold waves in recent years.
One of the most notable occurred in January 2022, when a strong cold wave hit the country, bringing abundant snow even to Athens and the islands of the Aegean, such as Rhodes and Crete.
In a locality west of the capital, temperatures dropped to 7°F, an extraordinarily rare event for the region.
Another significant episode dates back to February 2008, when an Arctic air mass brought intense snowfall to Athens, with accumulations exceeding 16 inches in some areas. Again, the cold wave was an exceptional event that challenged a region unaccustomed to such frigid temperatures.
Extreme Cold in North America
Moving to North America, intense cold has hit cities like Chicago, which in January 2019 recorded historic minimum temperatures.
On that occasion, the thermometer dropped to -22.9°F, the lowest value since the mid-1980s.
This extreme event occurred due to a powerful incursion of polar air, exacerbated by the weakening of the Polar Vortex.
The Dualism Between Extreme Heat and Cold
While exceptional cold spells continue to occur, we cannot forget the increasingly frequent, prolonged, and widespread episodes of intense heat. Scientists emphasize that global warming itself could trigger these extreme cold waves, increasing the contrast between warm and cold air masses.
This dualism accentuates the extreme nature of the modern climate, making intense climatic episodes of both heat and cold more likely.
Recent weather events demonstrate that the climate is becoming increasingly unpredictable, a clear sign of the global climate fluctuations we are experiencing.
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