It does not happen everyday to see apricot trees in bloom covered in snow on the first of March. However, this is exactly what happened on the hills in the Ravenna and Bologna provinces.

"It snowed the whole morning and started to accumulate around midday. It did not snow much, only 3-4cm, but enough to paint a scenic yet worrying picture," reports Glenda Vignoli from Riolo Terme (Ravenna). 

The temperature remained around 0°C, so there was no damage. "I am only worried about the next few nights. Snow was abundant on the higher hills and freezing air will come down if the weather improves." 

The variety already in bloom at Vignoli is Wondercot, while the flowers are still mainly closed for the other varieties.

Technician Pietro Cimatti reassures that "... flowers are more resistant than fruitlets as their water content is roughly 70% while that of fruitlets is 92% with no protections. So we can rest easy for now."

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com