Venice's St Mark's Square under water with new 'acqua alta'

A barman poses on a flooded terrace facing San Marco square in October 2006. Venice's historic St Mark's Square was under water as a new episode of "acqua alta" struck the city with the convergence of high tides and a strong sirocco.(AFP/File/Sebastiano Casellati)

Venice's historic St Mark's Square was under water as a new episode of "acqua alta" struck the city with the convergence of high tides and a strong sirocco.

The city's tide monitoring center put residents on alert and raised walkways were put in place on main streets to allow people to get around the city, five percent of which was under water with levels up to 103 centimeters (3.3 feet).

The highest "acqua alta" of the year occurred on October 24, at 112 centimeters.