river flow · Italy
Po at Pontelagoscuro
July mean discharge
Modelled demonstration series · not observed data
When Po discharge falls this far, saltwater pushes inland up the delta and contaminates the irrigation intakes, so the damage reaches farmland the drought never physically touched. Rice, maize and tomato production in the valley all depend on this number staying above a threshold that it now regularly fails to clear.
75 years, modelled
Same reading, two normals
| Normal | Mean | σ | Pct | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–1980 | 940 m³/s | −3.00σ | 0.13th | 1 in 740 years |
| 1991–2020 | 971 m³/s | −3.92σ | 0.004th | 1 in 23,000 years |
Today would be the lowest value in the entire 75-year modelled series. Past the series' standing low of 519 m³/s (1972). Nothing about the reading changes between rows — only the yardstick.
The season here
The Po drains the Italian Alps and irrigates the Po valley — the country's agricultural engine — exactly when it is at its lowest.
Where this series comes from
MODELLED SERIES — not observed. Parameters set from published Pontelagoscuro gauge July discharge climatology; lognormal transform applied. The 75 annual values are synthesised by the seeded generator.
Every number on this page comes from a modelled series: 75 annual values synthesised by a seeded generator from published climatological parameters for Po at Pontelagoscuro. It shows how anomaly reasoning works. It is not a measurement and must not be cited as one.
How to read σ
σ counts standard deviations from this place's own normal. The sigma guide · return periods.
More river flow stations
Open Po at Pontelagoscuro on the field →