Spring drought threatens Europe’s farms and rivers

The German Helmholtz Center’s drought monitor colors more than half the country in deep dark red, signifying “extraordinarily” dry topsoils. The situation is less dire at deeper soil levels, but that upper layer is crucial for the young plants and seedlings farmers are growing right now. 

Meanwhile, the Rhine, a vital artery for transporting goods in Western Europe, is experiencing low levels usually seen in summer. As a result, barges can only pass the river with less than half their usual cargo, driving up logistics costs and slowing supply chains. 

Belgium is also facing a dramatic rainfall deficit. According to the country’s Royal Meteorological Institute, there has been shockingly little rainfall between March 1 and Tuesday last week — with effectively no rain for 33 days during that period and only 7.8 millimeters of precipitation at its Brussels monitoring station. The average is around 50 mm. 

“We’ve never experienced such a dry period,” the institute’s climatologist Pascal Mormal told L’Echo. But Belgium, which saw its wettest year on record in 2024, is relatively lucky for now, with plentiful groundwater reserves, and isn’t yet considered at risk of a full-blown drought. 

The situation is far worse in Central and Eastern Europe, where a dry winter didn’t give soils a chance to recover from last year’s drought. Among the worst-hit countries are Poland and Ukraine, which are both world-leading grain exporters. 

“A potential poor grain season as a result of intense drought can have a significant impact on the global grain market,” agricultural researcher Claas Nendel warned in a note circulated by the German meteorological service earlier this month, warning of a “drought year” for the region often described as Europe’s breadbasket.