Snow Falls in Rome, and the Eternal City Takes a Holiday.

[elleng]

People tobogganed in Rome’s public parks on makeshift sleds — garbage bags appeared to be a preferred, if potentially painful, material — and a few hardy individuals strapped on skis to slalom in the Circus Maximus, once the site of chariot races.

Ingrid Nutty and Anthony Awy, who were visiting from London, were bemused that a snowy day would make the news. “We’re used to it,” Ms. Nutty said. Mr. Awy noted that the forecast had predicted the cold weather. “We came prepared,” he said, clapping his gloved hands.

A Siberian weather front nicknamed the Beast from the East sent temperatures plunging and brought snow and icy conditions to many European countries in recent days. In Italy, the weather front was dubbed Burian, a play on the name for a gelid wind from the Siberian steppe, and temperatures have dropped well below their seasonal average.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/world/europe/rome-snow.html?

[ffr]

1. The jet stream isn't holding fast to its traditional routes, it's bending and sticking

over areas where it hasn't normally been. In so doing, it pulls cold further down from the arctic in one area, while bringing drought and dry warm conditions to other areas. But no matter how much media coverage these limited cold spells produce, the long-term trend is hotter and drier.

Humans may be able to market weather phenomena and trick other humans, but all other land species are already moving and we know this. Earth's sixth mass extinction is underway due to human industrialization.

[robertpaulsen]

2. Wow, that's amazing!

I visited Italy in January 2001. There was a little snow on the ground in some small towns around Milan, but nothing close to that around Rome. Rome was very warm the whole week we were there.