Severe drought affects over half of Europe in July
More than 50% of Europe’s land has faced drought for four consecutive months, with Eastern Europe and the Balkans seeing the sharpest increases, according to the European Drought Observatory.
Over half of Europe’s land area — 52% — experienced drought in July for the fourth month in a row, according to the European Drought Observatory (EDO).
According to tovima, the figure is the highest ever recorded for July since monitoring began in 2012, exceeding the 2012–2024 average by 21 percentage points. The continent has set monthly drought records for every month of 2025 so far.
The EDO’s drought index, part of the EU’s Copernicus satellite programme, combines three parameters: rainfall, soil moisture, and vegetation. It uses three alert levels — watch, warning, and alert.
Sharp rise in Eastern Europe and the Balkans
Eastern Europe and the Balkans have been hit particularly hard. In Hungary, land under “alert” conditions rose from 9% in June to 56% in July. Kosovo saw an increase from 6% to 43%, while Bosnia and Herzegovina jumped from 1% to 23%.
Heatwaves across the Balkans since early summer have coincided with unprecedented wildfires, many igniting in open landfills, releasing toxic fumes.
Eastern Mediterranean also under pressure
Turkiye has faced persistent drought affecting 60% of its territory every month since March, creating conditions for wildfires. On 8 August, blazes in the west of the country forced the evacuation of three towns and disrupted shipping in the Dardanelles.
Western Europe mixed picture
In France, drought affected 68% of land in July, up from 44% in June. The country suffered one of its largest wildfires on record, with 13,000 hectares burned in the Aude region in the southwest. France now faces its second heatwave of the year.
In the UK, conditions have improved compared to recent months, though over two-thirds of the country still face water shortages.
Spain and Portugal remain comparatively spared, with drought affecting 7% and 5% of their territory respectively.
