Andrea Torretti, principal researcher at the European Commission’s Joint Research Council, warned that the drought sweeping across much of the European Union would be the worst since the 16th century, adding that “at the moment this year seems to be the worst in 500 years.” “And it’s even worse than it was in 2018.

He noted that “particularly dry and hot weather left central and northern Europe that year, with yields of major crops down by 50%, but wet conditions in southern Europe led to higher yields,” continuing, “As for this year, Conversely, much of Europe is subject to heat waves and dry weather, with droughts affecting food production, energy, drinking water and wildlife.

The latest data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO) showed that about 45% of the European bloc’s land was in “warning” conditions, the second of three drought categories, in the 10 days leading up to July 20.