Snow: national deficit at -29%. The situation improves in the Alps

Precipitation over the last few days in Italy has reduced the deficit of the Snow Water Equivalent, the water contained in the snow, which provides an indicator of the water available for the spring and summer months. The situation has improved especially in the Alps, while the deficit remains pronounced in the Apennines.

March has opened with rain and, at higher altitudes, with snow. After months in which, as we have reported , the monitoring by CIMA Research Foundation detected a serious snow deficit (or, more precisely, a deficit of water contained in the snow, the Snow Water Equivalent or SWE), this undoubtedly appears as good news from the perspective of water resources. But can we say that we have mitigated drought in view of the spring and summer months?

Let's? give a more precise picture of the situation, based on the data we have collected and analyzed in recent days.?

In mid-February, we defined the situation in Italy as worsening compared to the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, with an SWE deficit of -64%. Today, however, we estimate a deficit of -29%: a significant recovery, but still indicating a scarcity of snow compared to the last decade.?

This picture regards the situation at the national level. However, at the local level, the picture is more varied: the best conditions are in the Alpine region, where the deficit is -21%, and worse for the Apennines, where the deficit is -78% (the value refers to Abruzzo, which represents a representative index for the central Apennine area). The relatively good situation in the Alps can be attributed to the abundant precipitation that, in February, affected the northern part of the peninsula. Instead, the central-southern regions remained "dry," with virtually no snow cover on the Apennines, except for higher altitudes.

And what about the Po, Italy’s most important snow-water reservoir? What about temperatures? What should we expect for the coming months? Can we already predict how the situation will evolve?

Find out more in the in-depht analysis on our website: