Winter drought hits southern Europe and northern Africa

The drought afflicting the Mediterranean has persisted through the winter, with below-average rainfall leading to water restrictions and a state of emergency, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Agency said in a report.

More than 45% of southern Europe is in soil drought, with 2.8% reaching the highest “alert” level in the first 10 days of February, according to the latest data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO) analyzed by AFP.

Meanwhile, a quarter of Europe and northern Africa is in drought, with 19.3 percent of the region’s soil at “alarm” levels, meaning water shortages are underway, according to Copernicus.

According to AFP calculations, the alert level affects 2.5% of the region, meaning that the advanced stages of the drought are causing abnormal plant growth.

The situation has worsened since the end of January, but has improved slightly compared to the same period last year, when 31.3 percent of the territory was affected by drought.

Areas in the western Mediterranean, including southern Italy, Spain, northern Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, have been particularly hard hit.

Warmer than normal seasonal temperatures are the cause.

Last month was the warmest January on record globally, Copernicus said, with some regions experiencing months or even years of lack of rainfall.

Catalonia is facing the “worst drought in 100 years,” according to regional president Pere Aragonés, and has imposed a state of emergency that includes new water restrictions.

Reservoirs in the region were 16% below the level.

Copernicus’ numbers refer to the dryness of the soil visible to satellites, not groundwater.

In France, groundwater, the main source of drinking water, has reached “very alarming” levels in the southern Pyrenees-Orientales region, an organization that monitors the region has announced.

The Italian island of Sicily declared a state of drought emergency in early February, and farmers in Sardinia faced water restrictions.

Morocco is experiencing its sixth consecutive year of drought, with temperatures recently approaching 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit).

The climate situation may not improve any further.

EDO predicts that spring 2024 will be warmer than usual in Europe and the Mediterranean, which will exacerbate the lack of snow in some mountain ranges that contribute to river recharge over the coming months.