Drought in Europe April 2025

TORETI, A., BAVERA, D., ACOSTA NAVARRO, J., ACQUAFRESCA, L., BARBOSA, P., DE JAGER, A., FICCHÌ, A., FIORAVANTI, G., GRIMALDI, S., HRAST ESSENFELDER, A., MAGNI, D., MAZZESCHI, M., MCCORMICK, N., SALAMON, P., SANTOS NUNES, S. and VOLPI, D.

https://dx.doi.org/10.2760/7964287

Drought conditions are affecting large parts of eastern and southern Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean region, and the Baltic countries. Northern Africa and Middle East are severely affected too. Recent above-average temperatures in Scandinavia, the Baltic countries, the Alps, the eastern Mediterranean and the whole eastern Europe exacerbated the effect of the prolonged lack of precipitation. Low flows are affecting rivers mostly in eastern Europe, in the Baltic Sea region, in northern Germany, Benelux, and in Türkiye. The most recent observed data for the Rhine River show an initial critical stage for inland navigation.
Impacts on vegetation are most likely to emerge in the coming months if these conditions will persist. The current positive anomaly may depend on an anticipated growth triggered by higher-than-average temperatures. The already affected areas are mostly in the Mediterranean region. Seasonal forecasts point to a warmer than average and dry north (wet south) in spring/early summer 2025, despite large uncertainty in the precipitation forecasts.

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