Record flood in Venice

It's normal for Italy's "eternal city" to flood in winter, but Sunday's 5-foot (1.5-meter) inundation is the sixth highest since record-keeping began in 1872, according to the Reuters news service.

"Usually flooding occurs when there is high tides and rain." Recently "strong winds from the south further enhanced the high-tide conditions," explained Shimon Wdowinski, a geophysicist at the University of Miami, Kazinform has learnt from National Geographic.

Most parts of Venice don't flood during the acqua alta ("high water"), but on Monday three-quarters of the city was underwater. As of Tuesday, the water level has begun to recede, but it may take a while, Wdowinski said. "Venice sits in a lagoon that has three outlets to the Adriatic Sea. In cases of heavy rain, like now, it takes time for the water to flow out."

A barrier to protect the city from repeated winter flooding-known as the MOSE project -is due to be finished by 2014. Until then, "there's not much that can be done," Wdowinski said.