Eternal City eternally damp as Rome suffers record rainfall

ROME – It is carnival time in Rome, known as the “Eternal City”, which traditionally means piazzas filled with excitable children in costumes, gorging on fried treats – but record rains are ruining the party.

Persistent bad weather has dogged the whole of Italy since the start of 2026, with storms causing huge damage and disruption.

Rome itself has seen near-daily downpours in February after a record amount of rain in January.

“January 2026 ranked as one of the three wettest Januarys (in Rome) since 1782,” meteorologist Lorenzo Tedici told AFP.

With its lush parks and outdoor social scene, the Eternal City is known for its long summers and temperate winters.

But Italy is a so-called “hot spot” for climate change in Europe, and in recent years, the whole country has been

experiencing extreme weather events,

particularly droughts.

The storms sweeping through in recent weeks have at least “ended the drought in several southern regions – particularly Sicily and Sardinia”, Mr Tedici said.

Yet the “exceptionally rainy period” is now “causing problems due to excess water in central and southern Italy”, he said.

Nearly 58 per cent more rainfall than average fell across Italy in January, he said.

Coastal areas took a pummelling in January, with one town in Sicily, Niscemi, left teetering on the brink of a cliff after a massive landslide triggered by Storm Harry.

‘English climate in Italy’

With the bad weather expected to last until Feb 20, according to Mr Tedici, mayors in storm-hit towns have been cancelling or postponing carnival celebrations.

The festivities are a last hurrah before Lent, a period of abstinence in the Christian calendar leading up to Easter – and can last for days.

But at the Antico Forno Roscioli in Rome, where carnival delicacies including crispy pastries and custard-filled donut balls are piled high, many customers are not in the mood.

“The rains are definitely putting a (damper) on festivities and slowing sales,” manager Paolo Martinucci told AFP.

Mr Davide Faranda, research director at the Climate and Environment Sciences Laboratory in Paris, said Italy was currently being drenched by Storm Nils.

The storm, which has already lashed parts of France, Portugal, and Spain, has brought stronger than usual winds and rain.

Climate change is increasing the intensity of heavy rainfall events across Europe, by warming the atmosphere and allowing it to hold and release more moisture.

The Mediterranean region as a whole is also warming faster than the rest of the globe.

That means “changes in temperature and the hydrological cycle tend to be stronger there than the global average, which can exacerbate heavy rainfall”, Mr Faranda told AFP.

What is more, Italy has specific geographical characteristics “that can amplify impacts”, he said.

“Its location between the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps, combined with complex topography and long coastlines, makes it particularly sensitive to moisture transport, orographic rainfall (caused by air flowing over mountains), and slow-moving storm systems,” he said.

Mr Tedici said the “endless rain” was caused by the polar jet stream – a ring of fast-moving air around the Arctic – being “further south than normal”.

It is “essentially bringing the English climate to Italy”, he said.

And while Storm Nils is passing over, Anbi Water Resources Observatory warned Italy on Feb 13 to batten down the hatches for the incoming “St Valentine’s Cyclone”. AFP