With Summer Rains, Is France Still in Drought?

You may have noticed: Summer temperatures were mild over a large part of France during July. According to Meteo-France, “The average temperature of 21.9°C was 0.8°C above normal. , In July. Without very heavy balance sheets recorded overseas, one could almost believe that all is well. About. because the condition, episodic, was actually caused by a depression directly off the North Atlantic, which explains why we didn’t encounter longer episodes HeatHeatsuch as Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece where MercuryMercury For several weeks the temperature remained above 40°C. As far as fires are concerned, France has had roughly the same number of fires as last year. Nevertheless, the rains, combined with a policy of massive attacks on early fires, have made it possible to significantly reduce the number of hectares consumed.

Drought continues in France

Nevertheless, the drought indicators are quite dire, as indicated byEuropean Drought Observatory Which published a map showing particularly marked tense situations in the north of the continent. Despite the rain, France is in no better shape than elsewhere: “72% of groundwater levels below monthly normal in July (68% in June 2023)”, BRGM, Bureau of Geological and Mining Research has given its details in its report. “In fact, the rain that falls during storm events which are sometimes violent, does not infiltrate the soil. In addition, soil moisture and vegetation were the first to benefit from rain. The absence of recharge has also been explained by rainfall contrasts in time and space. , Meteo-France estimates that over the next three months, there is a 60% risk that temperatures across the region will be above average. In the Mediterranean basin, there is also a 50% chance that the quarter will be wetter than average.