Venice underwater and French vineyards washed out: How the World has also been hit by flooding as huge downpours batter the continents

In Venice, tourists could only look on in flooded St Mark's Square

Hundreds evacuated from homes in Pisa, Italy, as Arno breaks its banks

Vineyards in Langoiran, France, were also plunged underwater

And several hundred people remain stuck in snow in Northern Serbia

Much of Europe has been plunged underwater as huge downpours hit the continent.

Hundreds have been evacuated from homes in Pisa, Italy, as the city’s Arno river looks set to break its banks, and in Venice, tourists could only look on in flooded St Mark's Square as it was enveloped in a yearly phenomenon known as 'acqua alta' (high water).



A third of Venice is already under water as an unrelenting wave of rain sweeps across Italy.

Tourists walk on the flooded St Mark's Square during an 'acqua-alta' (high-water) alert in Venice

The rise in the water level is due to winds and currents

Tourists don waterproof boots as they wade their way across flooded St Mark's Square

A boy with a fishing rod in the flooded square. The risk of flooding is at its most prevalent in autumn and spring, thanks to a combination of rising water and forceful winds

The French department of Finistere has been placed on alert as forecasters warn of huge waves and widespread flooding and army and police have evacuated about 1,000 people from cars and buses stranded in deep snow in northern Serbia.

Vineyards in Langoiran, France, were also plunged underwater.

Several hundred people still remain stuck in snow in Northern Serbia, the government said today.



A couple pauses to take a seat as they wade their way across the square. Currently, a third of the city is underwater

The high waters turned the romantic city into an assault course for its many visitors

Authorities have closed down snow-hit roads and banned river traffic on the Danube river because of strong winds.

Winter so far in Serbia had been exceptionally mild, but over the last week a cold spell and snowstorms have swept across parts of central and eastern Europe.



Heavy snow in Bulgaria left dozens of villages without electricity and water and Romanian authorities declared a 'code red' weather warning on Wednesday.



South America: A spectacular flash of lightning streaks down from the sky above Montevideo in Uruguay Electric: Another lightning strike behind the restored hotel and casino Hotel Carrasco in the heart of Montevideo Emergency officials in Serbia reported that dozens of cars and two passenger trains remain stranded in the country's north, flat area where strong winds have been piling up snow drifts, cutting off villages and roads. Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic - who is tipped to become the new prime minister after snap elections in March - toured the area with other government ministers.

Vucic said there are about a dozen columns of cars still stranded.



Flood-hit vineyards, in Langoiran, western France, as ten departments have been placed on alert

French departments on the Atlantic coast have been on alert for strong waves and risk of submersion

Flood-affected vineyards, in Langoiran, western France

City employees walk in a flooded street, on the right bank of the Garonne river in Bordeaux, western France

Bordeaux, western France. Many European countries have experienced stormy weather during the past month

High seas are set to cause widespread flooding and disruption along France's Atlantic coast

Vlatko Jovicevic, one of the stranded travelers, told B92 Television and Radio Station that he has been stuck for more than 20 hours.



Snow drifts in places are 3.5 meters high (11.5 feet high), prompting authorities to close the main border crossing with Hungary.

The state railway company said it would evacuate several dozen passengers stranded on two trains going to and from Hungary that were stuck because of snow on the tracks.

Local drivers try to move on the 53th road near the Horgos border station about 20 km south from Szeged, Hungary

A man pushes his bicycle through the snow on the 53th road near the Horgos border. Due to heavy snowfalls, the border between Hungary and Serbia had to be closed

A road sweeping vehicle clears snow from the road near the city of Backa Topola, northern Serbia. Snow drifts formed by stormy winds have blocked two passenger trains and dozens of vehicles in northern Serbia

Parts of Austria have also been badly affected after a metre of snow fell in the last two days, blocking railways and covering roads.

The southern city of Lienz, perched high in the Alps, has been blanketed by snow flurries over the last 48 hours, leaving cars and trains stranded.



Whole valleys in the mountainous region of Tyrol, where Lienz is situated, have been left cut off after the sudden snow storms caused travel chaos.

Railways in the town of Lienz, in Austria, have been blocked after a metre of snow fell in 48 hours

Valleys in the Alpine region of Tyrol have been cut off as roads are blocked (left) while the town of Koetschach, in neighbouring Carinthia (right), is also suffering with snow reaching head height



There is a mixture of rain and snow forecast for Lienz in the coming days meaning conditions may turn icy