Europe and the Mediterranean basin are facing an unprecedented drought at the beginning of August. According to the European Drought Observatory, 51% of soils are affected, the highest percentage recorded for this period since monitoring began in 2012, IPN reports with reference to  Agerpres.

The phenomenon has been ongoing since April and already exceeds in severity the extreme drought of the summer of 2022. Satellite data analyzed by the European Copernicus program shows that 7.8% of the surface of Europe and the countries around the Mediterranean are in a state of alert, the most severe level.

The most affected regions are the Caucasus and the northern Balkans, where the drought almost entirely covers the territories of Georgia and Armenia, Bulgaria, or Kosovo. In Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Hungary, and Montenegro, over three-quarters of the area are under the incidence of drought.

At the same time, it is noted that the heatwaves in July and August have fueled numerous wildfires in the region, some resulting in casualties in Montenegro and Albania. In Western Europe, France and the United Kingdom are suffering from drought over extensive areas, while in Spain, Portugal, and Italy the phenomenon has somewhat subsided, remaining localized.

The only significant improvement is recorded in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic, where soil moisture has returned to normal after several months of water stress. However, the fire toll from 2025 remains alarming, with over 1 million hectares of vegetation already burned in the European Union, surpassing the previous annual record, according to EFFIS data.