It is the image of an almost forgotten summer normality, anticipated, however, by as much as six months. The image has been drawn by the weekly report of the ANBI Observatory on Water Resources: water availability in the North (albeit with some exceptions); water stress as one descends towards the South (so far concentrated mainly in Central Italy) with a peak in the islands. "Italy has once again turned upside down," comments Francesco Vincenzi, President of the National Association of Consortia for the Management and Protection of Land and Irrigated Water, "but the 6 months of climatic advance make us fear above all for the future of southern agriculture. It is certainly not normal to talk about drought risk in January, just as it should be pointed out that water resources, even where they are higher than last year, often remain below historical averages. This is a consequence of an uneven rainfall pattern that is also bringing little snow this year".
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