Prolonged low tides see smaller canals dry up in Venice

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Some of Venice’s secondary canals have practically dried up due a prolonged spell of low tides linked to a lingering high-pressure weather system. Since the canals essentially serve as streets in car-less Venice, the phenomenon of the last days has added to the challenges of every-day life in the lagoon city. Ambulance boats in some cases have had to tie up farther from their destination, forcing medical crews to sometimes hand carry patients on stretchers over longer distances. Separately, the same high pressure system compounded by scarce Alpine snow melt this year has been a factor for the shriveling of lakes and rivers in northern Italy.