In mid-July, almost all soils were dry in mainland France (96.5%), a record for this time of year, according to analysis of data from the European Drought Observatory.
The drought was also one of the most severe recorded, with more than a third of the metropolitan territory on alert. This reflects not only a lack of precipitation and soil moisture, but also a degradation of vegetation. Since observations began in 2012, these drought levels have only been exceeded once, in April 2012.
The current situation (the data covers the period from July 11 to 20) was accentuated by the exceptional heatwaves of June and July in France and Europe, facilitating the occurrence of forest fires of rare intensity, like the one underway in Gironde.
Large swathes of the European continent, from central France through Germany to central Europe, are also experiencing below-normal precipitation. There are several types of drought, which can be combined: meteorological drought, soil drought and hydrological drought (in rivers and groundwater).
Several European countries affected
The drought indicator of the European Copernicus program observatory, based on satellite observations, combines the level of precipitation, soil humidity and the state of vegetation. It is broken down into three levels: monitoring, warning and alert.
More broadly, drought was at a high level in the European Union in mid-July, with half of the soils affected by the phenomenon. On average, only a third of soils were dry at this time of year, from 2012 to 2025.
In addition to France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria, Slovenia and Montenegro were almost entirely in a state of drought in mid-July. In Central Europe, Hungary was also hit hard, with more than 60% of its territory on alert, a level which had already been reached a year earlier, at the same time.
The June heat wave in Europe would have been almost impossible in June without climate change, according to climatologists at World Weather Attribution.
