A European Union body reported on Tuesday that Europe is experiencing its worst drought in at least 500 years, with two-thirds of the continent under alert or warning, decreasing inland transportation, electricity output, and food harvests.
According to the August report from the European Drought Observatory (EDO), which is under the control of the European Commission, 47% of Europe is experiencing warning conditions with a clear soil moisture deficit and 17% is experiencing alert conditions with impacted vegetation.
The research added that the western Europe-Mediterranean region was anticipated to endure warmer and drier than average weather until November. “The severe drought afflicting several regions of Europe since the beginning of the year has been further expanding and intensifying as of early August,” it stated.
This summer, a large portion of Europe experienced weeks of oppressive heat, which exacerbated the drought, sparked wildfires, prompted health alerts, and increased calls for climate change mitigation.
The Commission stated in a statement that, if final data at the end of the season verified the preliminary assessment, the current drought appeared to be the worst in at least 500 years.
Summer crops have suffered, with soybean and sunflower yields expected to decline by 15% and 12%, respectively, and grain maize yields expected to be 16% below the average of the previous five years in 2022.
Due to a lack of water to feed cooling systems, the production of hydropower has been hampered, with additional effects on other power producers.
Low water levels have made it difficult to convey goods inland, such as coal and oil, as shown along the Rhine.
Rainfall in the middle of August, according to the EDO, may have improved the situation, but in some areas it was accompanied by thunderstorms that worsened the situation.
Measurements of rainfall, soil moisture, and the percentage of solar energy absorbed by plants for photosynthesis are used to create the observatory’s drought indicator.
