Climatic Conditions

In Alife the weather was fine, but at Cassino from early February to the end of March there was heavy rain, high winds that reached gale force at times, and hail and snow on the surrounding hills. The country was waterlogged until the second week in March, but with the strong winds it then became dry and hard. Large areas of ground were quite impassable because of the soft mud and miniature lakes caused by demolitions. In April there were spring rains and cool temperatures. Later, the winds became hot and dry with occasional thunderstorms.

On 22 March Mount Vesuvius erupted violently, covering the surrounding country with ash and also engulfing parts of small villages with lava. At Bari the sky became inky black and rain mixed with dust covered the streets, vehicles, and clothing with a thin layer of mud.