Drought Affects Over Half of Europe and Mediterranean Region
More than half of Europe and the Mediterranean basin has experienced drought in the first ten days of August, with a reported 51.3% of the area affected, marking the highest level recorded for this period since the European Drought Observatory began data collection in 2012, reports 24brussels.
This prolonged drought has persisted since mid-April 2025 and is characterized as more severe than the drought conditions observed during the summer of 2022. The Drought Observatory Indicator, developed by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, utilizes satellite imagery to analyze rainfall, soil moisture, and vegetation health.
Findings categorize drought conditions into three levels: watch, warning, and alert, with the alert status indicating abnormal vegetation development. As of early August, 7.8% of the affected regions were under alert, while 38.7% were in a warning state and 4.9% under watch.
The Caucasus and northern Balkans are the hardest-hit areas, with Georgia and Armenia reporting 97% of their territories affected by drought. Bulgaria and Kosovo follow closely, while Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Hungary, and Montenegro have three-quarters of their land under warning or alert.
July and August brought intense heatwaves to this part of Europe, triggering numerous wildfires; the fires have claimed lives, with one fatality reported in Montenegro and another in Albania.
While Spain, Portugal, and Italy have faced severe wildfires, their drought impact remains localized. In contrast, 69.5% of the UK and 63% of France are also reporting drought conditions, as indicated by the EDO.
Central Europe has experienced some improvements, with soil moisture and vegetation returning to normal in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic, areas previously hard-hit over recent months.
According to AFP, estimates from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) indicate that 2025 has already seen over one million hectares of land in the EU devastated by wildfires, a record high.
