The Nord department has been placed on "drought alert" due to a lack of rain and high temperatures.

It's a bit of a topsy-turvy world. At a time when violent storms are feared in the south of France , with up to 70 mm of rain in some places in the space of an hour, the Nord department is desperately waiting for a few drops of water . The deficit is such that the prefecture announced on Monday, May 19, that it had placed the department on "drought alert ." Water reserves there are under severe "high pressure" due to a record rainfall deficit and high temperatures in recent months.

Following an "exceptional recharge of the water tables in the winter of 2023 and 2024", marked by violent floods , " rainfall showed a record deficit of 63 % from February 1 to May 5, 2025, which slowed the recharge of the water tables at the end of the winter period. " The phenomenon "is currently causing soil drought close to the highest historical values, reinforced by recurring episodes of wind."

The prefecture, which represents the State in the department, is therefore calling on all residents " to reduce their consumption of drinking water as well as their withdrawals from the natural environment."

"The department's drinking water networks are interconnected, as are certain watercourses. There are therefore numerous water transfers throughout the department, and it is necessary to establish solidarity between water users," according to the Nord prefecture.

This situation is of particular concern to farmers, whose spring crops have not yet sprouted due to the exceptionally dry weather. This year, irrigation "is therefore a necessity" to "try to get the crops to grow," notes Denis Bollengier, co-president of the FDSEA (French Federation of Agricultural Workers) for the Dunkirk district.

However, some farmers in the department do not have such an irrigation system. "Mutual assistance" within the profession is thus being established, adds Denis Bollengier, who adds that more and more farmers are equipping themselves "to protect themselves" against this new problem, a direct consequence of climate change.