Europe suffers worst drought in over a decade

A new report from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has found that the continent has suffered one of the worst droughts since 2003.

The assessment from the European Drought Observatory found that a lengthy lack of rainfall since April combined with unusually high temperatures led to the drought during June and July. The countries most affected were located in Northern Europe, in addition to Hungary, the Czech Republic, northern Italy and northern Spain.

The researchers found that the heat wave experienced this year lasted longer than in the Mediterranean compared to 12 years ago. Particularly affected was Spain, where maximum daily temperatures were above 30°C for over 40 days.

The expert says that some sectors benefitted from the hot temperatures, notably tourism and solar energy. Yet, the weather also had a negative impact on the environment, leading to more wildfires, water restrictions and having a detrimental effect on human health, amongst others. Agriculture was also badly affected.

More details can be read here.