Northern Europe is experiencing a severe drought posing threats to agriculture from Scotland to the Netherlands.
Countries including northern France, Belgium, and Britain recorded significantly below-average rainfall this spring, resulting in dry soil conditions and delayed crop growth. Farmers, particularly in Britain, have already expressed concerns as the country faces its driest spring in 150 years.
In eastern England, farmer Luke Ablett described the conditions as severe, stating he is “praying for rain.” He noted the drastic shift in weather patterns, explaining, “We’ve moved from one extreme to another: excessive rainfall in winter and significantly less rain in spring and summer.” Ablett is now considering adapting his farming methods or switching to more drought-resistant crop varieties.
Northern England’s water reserves have reached critically low levels, prompting early irrigation by some farmers, according to the National Farmers’ Union (NFU). The NFU has called for investments to install water storage tanks on farms to mitigate the impacts of future droughts.
The Netherlands is also experiencing its worst drought since records began in 1906. In Denmark, the meteorological service reported notably dry conditions from February to April, with less than 63 millimeters of rainfall. “Only seven times since 1874 have we recorded less rainfall during this period,” the agency stated. Additionally, high temperatures have exacerbated conditions, pushing the country’s drought index to historically high levels earlier in the year than ever recorded.
Sweden’s farmers’ federation has cautioned that while it is too soon to fully assess the impact on agriculture, farmers should reconsider their water management strategies. In France, despite adequate underground water reserves, surface dryness has led to a drought alert in northern regions, where rainfall from February to early May matched the typical precipitation for a single month. Temperatures have also remained unusually high, particularly in the Hauts-de-France region.
In contrast, southern Europe, including Spain and Portugal, experienced rainfall amounts double the seasonal norm.
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