Europe is currently in the throes of a drought that appears to be the worst in at least 500 years, according to a preliminary analysis by experts from the European Union’s Joint Research Center.
Some 64% of the EU is under a drought warning or alert, according to a new report from the European Drought Observatory. The bloc’s experts said they expect the warm and dry conditions, which are fueling wildfires and reducing crop outputs, to continue in parts of the region until November.
“The combination of a severe drought and heat waves has created an unprecedented stress on water levels in the entire EU,” Mariya Gabriel, the bloc’s commissioner for research, said Tuesday in a statement. “Climate change is undoubtedly more noticeably every year.”
Several EU crops are being hit particularly hard, with the yield forecasts for grain 16% below the 5-year average, and 15% below it for maize, according to the latest data.
