Parts of Europe are dealing with some of the worst drought conditions they’ve seen since 2013. According to the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), the most heavily impacted countries have been France, Italy, Germany, northern Spain and the Czech Republic.
The drought is being attributed to a combination of hotter than normal weather, some record setting, and lack of rainfall during the Spring months.
Agricultural losses, disruptions to inland water transport, increased wildfires, and threats to forestry, energy production, and human health are all effects of the drought situation, but not everything has been negatively impacted. Tourism, viticulture (the cultivation of grapes) and the production of solar energy all saw benefits from this drought.