Drought: Severe Drought Expands to Half of Europe

More than half of Europe's land, approximately 52%, continues to be affected by drought for the fourth consecutive month, according to data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO).

The percentage is the highest recorded for the month of July since observations began in 2012 and exceeds the average for the period 2012-2024 by 21 percentage points.

Eastern Europe and the Balkans are the most affected regions. In many countries, the percentage of land that has moved to the alert level has increased: in Hungary it went from 9% in June to 56% in July, in Kosovo from 6% to 43%, and in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1% to 23%.

In the eastern Mediterranean, the drought has extended since March to 60% of Turkey, where it also favors the outbreak of fires. On Friday, August 8, fires in the western part of the country led to the evacuation of three towns and the interruption of navigation in the Dardanelles.

In France, 68% of the land was affected by drought in July, a clear increase compared to June (44%). In the United Kingdom, the situation has improved compared to previous months, but more than two-thirds of the country face water shortages.

Spain and Portugal remain relatively protected with relatively low drought rates (7% and 5% respectively).