1985, the heaviest snowfall of the century

It is always lovely to remember it, also because young people have not yet had such an experience. Thirty five years ago, “the heaviest snowfall of the century” was on its way.

Between 13 and 17 January, a depression centred over the Sea of Corsica, causing copious snowfalls, with record accumulation: 20 cm in Genoa, 30 cm in Venice, 40 cm in Padua and Treviso, 50 cm in Udine and Vicenza, 60 cm in Biella, 80 cm in Bologna, 110 cm in Como, 122 cm in Varese, and as much as 160 cm in Valganna. It snowed from 130 to 150 cm in Trento. In Milan, after four days and three nights of snow, the depth had reached 70 cm.

The Pre-Alpine Geophysical Centre gathered into a table (which you can find here) the record snowfalls over years. “The heaviest snowfall was on 15 January 1985, when 60 cm fell in 24 hours. And the record monthly snowfall was in January 1985, with 154.5 cm in 8 days (0.5 cm on the 8th, 25 cm on the 14th, 60cm on the 15th, 32 cm on the 16th, 5 cm on the 17th, 4 cm on the 21st, 1 cm on the 22nd, and 22 cm on the 26th).”