Spain, Cyprus, Greece: Where is Europe facing drought after a record-breaking hot spring?

By Euronews Green

Published on 02/06/2025 - 16:18 GMT+2

More than 40 per cent of Europe is presently facing immoderate shape of drought, nan latest charismatic update reveals.

Pockets of south-eastern Spain, Cyprus, Greece, and areas crossed nan south-eastern Balkans are nether nan highest shape of “alert” according to nan European Drought Observatory (EDO)’s study for 11-20 May.

But a drought “warning” is besides successful spot crossed ample swathes of bluish and eastbound Europe, pursuing a record-breaking basking and barren spring, driven by ambiance change. 

March was Europe’s warmest connected record, and immoderate countries saw their driest March, Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) antecedently reported. 

Drought alert successful vacation hotspots

In total, 1.6 per cent of nan 27 EU countries (excluding Madeira, Azores, and Canary Islands) positive nan UK is successful alert conditions. As per nan EDO’s classification, this intends that vegetation is showing signs of stress, arsenic good arsenic nan ungraded lacking moisture - which places an area nether a informing - and little than normal rainfall. 

The business is peculiarly acute successful immoderate Mediterranean areas favoured by holidaymakers, specified arsenic nan Greek islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Here, h2o is having to beryllium shipped successful from Athens aliases filtered by desalination plants to capable swimming pools and showers. 

Overtourism is being blamed for exacerbating nan issue. "The tourer assemblage is unsustainable and location is nary planning,” Nikitas Mylopoulos, professor of h2o assets guidance astatine Thessaly University, told nan UK’s Sky News. “[This is] starring to a tremendous emergence successful h2o request successful summer.”

However, he added, agriculture is simply a acold bigger drain connected nan country’s h2o resources, amplified by discarded and a deficiency of effective policies. 

Concerns for agriculture successful drought-hit countries

Alert conditions are quickly emerging successful ample areas of Ukraine and neighbouring countries, impacting crops and vegetation, EDO warns. 

Ukraine is 1 of Europe’s fastest-heating countries, hitting 2.7°C supra nan 1951-1980 mean successful 2023. As a awesome exporter of grain, drought present has superior ramifications for world nutrient supplies. Parts of Poland and Slovakia are suffering from nan barren spell, too.

Alert conditions besides persist successful western, south-eastern and cardinal Türkiye, bluish and occidental Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, parts of Jordan, bluish Iraq, Iran and Azerbaijan. 

In bluish Africa, alert and informing conditions person clung connected for much than a year.

Widespread drought warnings successful bluish Europe

According to nan EDO’s Combined Drought Indicator (CDI), 39.6 per cent of nan EU-27 and nan UK person a drought warning.

This orangish spot connected nan representation stretches from Ireland to nan bluish slopes of nan Alps, crossed to Finland, confederate Russia and Türkiye.

During nan 10-day play from 11 to 20 May, temperatures person been supra nan seasonal mean successful bluish Europe.  

As good arsenic nan cultivation impacts, location are concerns for hydropower. The International Hydropower Association has said that drought and aggravated rainfall - an illustration of “climate whiplash” - are pushing powerfulness plants to "operate astatine nan limits of their existing equipment".

Is ambiance alteration making drought worse?

Global warming is exacerbating drought successful immoderate parts of nan world, including astir nan Mediterranean. Scientists astatine nan World Weather Attribution recovered that nan wide drought of 2022, for example, was made 20 times much apt by ambiance change.

It will return clip to do a akin study for outpouring 2025, but location is nary uncertainty that ambiance alteration is making droughts worse by expanding temperatures and changing “precipitation regimes”, successful nan words of Andrea Toreti, coordinator of nan Copernicus European and Global Drought Observatories.

Regions that would usually person a chance to retrieve aliases equilibrium a deficiency of h2o successful warmer seasons and hole for summertime cannot dangle connected rainfall successful nan aforesaid way, Toreti antecedently told Euronews Green.

“Nowadays, this benignant of equilibrium has been modified.”