The first time I heard the sirens was on October 31, 2004. We had just moved into a ground floor apartment in the Santa Croce neighborhood of Venice, at 143 cm above sea level. It was a windy, rainy day and the sirens were warning us that high water would be arriving within a few hours. The forecast had predicted the water would rise to 130 cm, 13 cm (five inches) below the level where it would enter our apartment. But the science of predicting the water level is based upon rainfall, wind speed, wind direction, and the tides. When the rains come down hard while the strong winds are pushing water into the lagoon, and the tide is high, Venice floods. Predicting the exact level of high water is not easy.
I love this little glimpse into Venetian life.