Worsening drought conditions in Europe

Warmer-than-average temperatures and little rainfall since the beginning of the year are worsening the impacts of drought across Europe, a new “Drought in Europe – April 2025” report from the European Drought Observatory of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service suggests. 

The latest data have shown decreased river flows and worsening drought conditions across parts of the continent. This can affect local farming, energy production, transportation, and ecosystems. 

This data visualisation of the European continent, created with data from the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, shows the Combined Drought Indicator (CDI) for the third ten-day period of March 2025. It shows that some parts of Europe, including areas on the Iberian Peninsula and in southern Europe, were under alert drought conditions. It further shows that much of the continent, especially eastern Europe and the UK and Ireland, were on watch or warning levels for drought conditions during that time period. 

Copernicus data plays a crucial role in supporting early warning systems for droughts and in monitoring their impacts across the world.  

Source: 

Copernicus. (2025, May 5). Worsening drought conditions in Europe. Copernicus Image of the Day.