Almost two-thirds of European territory is under a drought alert or warnings due to heat waves and low rainfall, resulting in reduced navigation on rivers and lakes, reduced electricity production and reduced yields of some crops, a European Union agency said today.
The August report of the European Drought Observatory (EDO), which is overseen by the European Commission, states that 47% of Europe is in drought warning conditions, with very low soil moisture, and 17% in alert conditions, in which vegetation is being destroyed.
«Severe drought has been affecting many regions of Europe since the beginning of the year and has further extended and worsened since the beginning of August,» the report said.
Summer crops were hit, with 2022 yields for maize expected to be 16% lower than the average of the previous five years, while soybean and sunflower yields are expected to fall by 15% and 12% respectively.
Hydropower generation has also been affected, with a further impact on energy producers due to a lack of water to supply cooling systems.
Low water levels hinder navigation on rivers and lakes, such as along the Rhine, and reduced ship loads affect the transport of coal and oil.
The EDO reports that in mid-August rainfall alleviated the situation somewhat, but in some cases it came in the form of storms which caused further damage.
The observatory's drought index is derived from measurements of rainfall, soil moisture and the fraction of solar radiation absorbed by plants for photosynthesis.
