Europe’s long dry summer

An antidote to the recent rain is the August edition of Drought News from the European Commission. This details the continuous high temperatures that parts of Europe have been experiencing, along with up to 60% less rainfall.

France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Czech Republic, northern Italy and northern Spain experienced exceptional conditions. Temperatures topped 30C for 30 days in these countries and 40 days in Spain. This combined with lack of rain had a serious effect on vegetation and river flows.