Nearly two-thirds of Europe is on alert. drought or issued warnings due to heat waves and low rainfall,

According to the competent authority of the European Union, as a result of the drought, navigation on rivers and lakes, electricity production and the yield of some crops were limited.

An August report by the European Drought Observatory (EDO), which is overseen by the European Commission, says 47% of Europe is on a very low soil moisture drought warning and 17% is on a vegetation-killed alert. .

The current drought in Europe appears to be the worst in 500 years. @EU_ScienceHub experts.

Severe rainfall deficits affect crops and increase the risk of fires.

It also affected rivers, affecting the energy sector and river transport. 👇

— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) August 23, 2022

“A severe drought has hit many parts of Europe since the beginning of the year and has been widening and worsening since early August,” the report said.

Spring crops have been hit, with 2022 corn yields expected to be 16% below the five-year average, while soybean and sunflower yields are expected to decline by 15% and 12%, respectively.

Hydroelectric power generation was also affected, further impacting power producers due to lack of water to power cooling systems.

Low water levels make it difficult to navigate rivers and lakes, such as the Rhine, and reduced shiploads affect the transport of coal and oil.

Rains eased the situation somewhat in mid-August, but in some cases turned into torrential downpours that caused further damage, according to the EDI.

The observatory’s drought index is calculated from measurements of rainfall, soil moisture, and the proportion of solar radiation absorbed by plants for photosynthesis.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters.