An unexpected combination of weather conditions for this season, including mid-winter heat, record low rainfall and an unimaginable lack of snow across Europe, has caused rivers, canals and lakes to rise to Old Epirus at alarmingly low levels, with experts warning that the repetition severe drought last year in many areas.

Images of dried-up riverbeds and dried-up lakes are common in Europe in hot summers, but not in winter. However, an unusually warm and dry start to this year is affecting parts of Europe, including the central and southwestern parts of the continent, raising reasonable question – and concern – about what this could mean for water supplies.

The water situation in Europe has become “extremely precarious,” according to a study published in January by scientists at the Austrian Graz University of Technology, who used satellite data to analyze the world’s groundwater resources.

“A few years ago, I could not even imagine that here in Europe there could be problems with water. We are starting to have problems with water supply – and this should worry us, ”says Torsten Meyer-Ger, one of the researchers.

Winter is warm without rain and snow

OUR Francewhich is experiencing the longest drought in more than 60 years, water restrictions may soon be introduced.

The country experienced “32 consecutive days without significant precipitation, from January 21 to February 21,” notes Simon Mittelmerger, a climate scientist at Météo-France.

This has a serious impact on the rivers, lakes and, obviously, the soil of the country.

In addition to rain, there is also little snowfall. “The situation in the Pyrenees is close to the record for the least amount of snow in a season,” he says, while the Alps have 63% less snow than usual for the season.

Ecological Transition Minister Christophe Bessou called the winter drought “unprecedented”, warning that the country was on high alert.

IN Italysome of the most famous bodies of water dry up quickly.

The water level in Lake Karda is so low that you can walk to the islet in the middle along a path that did not exist until a few months ago.

In Venice, a city where there is usually a risk of flooding rather than drought, some canals have dried up and are considered unsuitable for gondolas due to low rainfall and lower water levels.

Italy’s longest river, the Po, which flows horizontally through its northern agricultural regions, has 61% less water than is considered normal for this season.

Last year, Pados faced the worst drought in seventy years.

But also in Spain which last year was the hottest year in its history, raises serious concerns about water supplies.

“We cannot guarantee the supply of drinking water or reserves for business purposes by relying solely on rain,” Teresa Ribera, Minister for Ecological Transition, said recently.

“The next few weeks will be critical”

Experts fear that the last two months of severe drought could signal a new reality, driven in part by rising global mean temperatures.

“In the past, such conditions were rare, but climate change is changing the frequency of precipitation in Europe, making these extreme events more frequent and intense,” says European Commission Research Center climatologist Andrea Toretti.

^{Source: CNN}