Europe Faces Unprecedented Drought: Over 45% of Region Dry for Months!

PARIS (AFP) — Europe and the Mediterranean basin have been grappling with an extensive drought affecting over 45 percent of the region since mid-March, according to an analysis by Agence France-Presse based on data from the European Drought Observatory released Tuesday.

This marks an unprecedented occurrence since data collection began in 2012, with such a vast area experiencing drought conditions for more than three consecutive months, significantly elevating the risk of wildfires.

As summer began, a series of fires erupted in Turkey and Greece, where on average 72 percent and 56 percent of soils respectively have remained parched since mid-March.

Greek firefighters reported Saturday that they remain on high alert due to soaring temperatures and strong winds sweeping across the country. The Drought Observatory Indicator, developed by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, employs satellite imagery to assess three key factors: precipitation, soil moisture, and vegetation health.

The findings are then classified into three drought levels: watch, warning, and alert – the last indicating abnormal vegetation development. The EDO data, current as of June 20, reveals a worsening drought situation in the region. Since early June, seven percent of soils have reached alert status, doubling the mid-March figures.

Eastern European countries are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Ukraine and Belarus have registered record highs for this time of year, with 31 percent and 25 percent of land on alert, respectively. To the west, the United Kingdom has been hit hard, with over 70 percent of its land drying out since late March.

England, in particular, has experienced its driest spring in over a century, according to the official weather service. Further south, Spain and Portugal have largely escaped alarming levels of dryness, with only four percent and less than one percent of lands on alert from June 11-20, respectively.

This is significantly lower than the historical average for this time of year: between 2012 and 2024, an average of 32 percent of Spain and 27 percent of Portugal were typically on alert. Both countries experienced heavy rainfall at the start of spring, including deadly floods in Spain’s Valencia region.

France’s national weather service, Météo-France, has warned that unusually dry vegetation in July could fuel wildfire outbreaks. The first major fires of the summer have already erupted in France over the weekend.