Syzygy: More than just a cool Hangman word!

Weird weather we're having, don't you think?

Gondolas stuck as Venice dries out

Gondolas moored at the Rialto Bridge in Venice are seen during an exceptionally low tide Wednesday.




VENICE, Italy (Reuters) -- Gondolas are running aground and hotel docks hang in midair as Italy's lagoon city Venice, more commonly awash at high tide, dries out because of good weather and an unusual combination of planetary influences.

Only the Grand Canal, Venice's biggest and most famous waterway, can still take water traffic, and the falling canal levels have given rise to terms such as "ghost town" and "desert" in local papers.

"The phenomenon is due to low pressure, that is, the good weather that coincides with the syzygy, the alignment of the moon, earth and sun," said Venice's tides office.

The new moon this week has helped push water levels to their lowest point in more than a decade, nearly 80 cm (2.5 feet) below sea level, it said. The lowest fall on record was 1.21 metres below sea level in 1934.

The city assured tourists that water levels would soon start rising again, restoring the romantic look they expect, and reminded Venetians they could check the water level at the city's Internet site. LINK

The romantic look, indeed!

If you've ever spent any time in Venice, you know why the reporter never mentioned the smell.

Tsunami.

Tornado.

Hurricane.

Landslide.

Avalanche.

Drought.

Flood.

Syzygy...

A better word for stumping Hangman players than onyx...

But the latest in a series of weird weather events.

One of those things that makes you go hmmmmmmm.