Brussels: A worsening drought is gripping large parts of Europe after months of below-average rainfall and repeated heat waves depleted soils, lowered reservoir levels, and pushed some of the continent's major rivers to critically low levels. The effects are spreading beyond the environment, with water restrictions affecting daily life, low river levels disrupting major transport routes and industrial supply chains, and growing pressure on agriculture and electricity production.
According to Anadolu Agency, drought conditions are affecting large parts of Europe, with some of the most severe stress currently concentrated across central and western Europe, southern Britain, northern Italy, and parts of eastern Europe. The European Drought Observatory has reported that drought conditions remain critical across much of the continent and have worsened particularly in central-western Europe. 'Alert' conditions persist in parts of Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland, while they have also intensified across a broad central European belt stretching from France and southern Germany through Switzerland and Austria to Hungary, Romania, and Serbia.
The decline in Europe's major rivers is largely the result of prolonged rainfall deficits compounded by repeated heat waves, which have dried soils and increased evaporation across much of the continent. Copernicus Climate Change Service indicated that June was drier than average across much of western, central, and eastern Europe, with persistent high-pressure systems suppressing rainfall. Exceptional temperatures further depleted soil moisture, leaving less water available to feed rivers, resulting in below-average river flows across large parts of France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland.
Municipalities across Europe are enforcing increasingly strict water restrictions to protect depleted reservoirs. In heavily affected countries such as France and England, authorities have restricted nonessential water use, including watering gardens, washing vehicles, and filling private swimming pools. To enforce the measures, administrative fines have been introduced, with penalties reaching up to £3,000 ($3,465) for individuals and businesses violating emergency bans.
Record-low water levels in the Rhine and Danube have disrupted logistics chains, forcing some cargo vessels to operate at just 20-30% of capacity and prompting logistics companies to divert commercial freight to rail networks. The disruption is affecting supplies of raw materials vital to industry, including coal, chemicals, and grain. Drought and heat have also strained irrigation supplies and crops across parts of Europe, prompting the EU to cut its 2026 yield forecasts for grain maize by 7% and sunflower by 6%.
A lack of sustained and sufficient rainfall in the coming weeks could not only prolong Europe's current drought but also carry water-supply pressures into the autumn and winter months. Further declines in river flows and reservoir levels could lead to wider water-use restrictions, tighter limits on agricultural irrigation, and further disruptions to river transport and energy production. Copernicus seasonal forecasts point to a higher likelihood of wetter-than-average conditions in southern Europe in early autumn and central Europe later in the season. However, temperatures are expected to remain well above average across virtually the entire continent, meaning rainfall would need to be sustained to reverse accumulated water deficits.