Severe droughts have been affecting several regions of Europe since the beginning of the year, and the situation is still expanding and worsening. Dry conditions are related to a wide and persistent lack of precipitation combined with early heatwaves in May and June. The severe precipitation deficit has impacted river discharges widely across Europe. This also means that the reduced stored water volume has had severe impacts on the energy sector for both hydropower generation and cooling systems of other power plants.
Competition for water resources is high and started earlier than usual. Water and heat stresses have reduced crop yield, and crop yield potential Water supply may be compromised in the coming months. The drier than normal conditions are forecasted for the next three months in large areas of Europe.
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Source: edo.jrc.ec.europa.eu