In Europe, 52% of soils are affected by drought, a record for the beginning of July

More than half of Europe's soils are dry. According to the latest data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO), 52% of land in Europe and the Mediterranean region was affected by drought at the beginning of July. This is the highest rate recorded for the period from 1 to 10 July since monitoring began in 2012.

The drought level, however, has declined slightly compared to the last ten days of June, when the absolute record was reached, with 55.5% of Europe and the Mediterranean coast affected. The drought indicator of the European Copernicus observatory, based on satellite observations, combines three parameters: precipitation, soil moisture, and vegetation condition. It is broken down into three drought levels (monitoring, warning, alert).

Eastern Europe is the hardest hit. In Kosovo, Serbia, and Bulgaria, nearly 100% of the land is affected by drought, and more than a third are on alert. As a result, water cuts were implemented, affecting more than 156,000 Bulgarians in mid-July. This precious resource is becoming increasingly scarce every year in the country. In Hungary, nearly half of the territory was on alert at the beginning of July (47%), a significant increase compared to the end of June (21%).

Across all regions, the drought is also pronounced in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Armenia, where 95% of the territory is affected. In Turkey (77%), the situation, coupled with strong winds, has given rise to hundreds of fires. Half of Syria is also affected by a drought that threatens the wheat harvest and places more than 16 million people at risk of food insecurity this year, according to the UN.

In Western Europe, the situation is more mixed. In the United Kingdom, 18% of soils are on alert, up more than 6 points since the end of June. France is also affected, with 12% of its territory on alert, mainly in the West. In total, two-thirds of French soils are affected by drought.

Conversely, Spain and Portugal remain surprisingly unaffected, with very low drought rates (6% and 1%). Both countries were swept by a succession of storms at the end of winter. Catalonia, a Hispanic region usually among the most affected by drought, suffered significant flooding earlier this month, caused by torrential rains.