Record Drought in the Mediterranean in Early July

A record drought was recorded in the Mediterranean in early July, according to an AFP analysis based on data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO). 52% of the land was affected, the highest percentage since 2012, exceeding the 2012-2024 average by 21 percentage points.

Eastern Europe is the most affected. In Kosovo, Serbia, and Bulgaria, almost 100% of the land is affected, with over one-third in a state of alert. Water cuts have affected over 156,000 people in Bulgaria.

In Hungary, almost half the country (47%) was in a state of alert in early July. In the eastern Mediterranean, Armenia (95%) and Turkey (77%) are also severely affected, with Turkey facing hundreds of fires.

In Syria, the drought threatens the wheat harvest and puts more than 16 million people at risk of food insecurity, according to the UN.

In Western Europe, Britain (18% in a state of alert) and France (12%) are affected, while Spain and Portugal remain relatively unaffected.