Europe is facing one of its toughest years for extreme weather, with many countries affected

Maros Sefcovic Italy Spain Eu Portugal France Russia Ukraine Greece Health Drought Heatwave Wildfires

09.07.2022 - 00:01

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euronews.com:

Eruope could be facing one of its toughest years when it comes to drought, with extremely dry weather hitting several Mediterranean countries.

That's the warning from EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, who told legislators on Thursday that “the present drought in Europe could become the worst ever.”

Already, extended drought conditions have hit several EU member states, including Greece and Italy, heightening concern across Europe for the months ahead.

Last month it was reported that an exceptionally early heatwave in France and Spain could stress wheat crops, coming after a notably dry spring.

Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years, and authorities worry that prolonged drought could lead to serious shortages of water for drinking and irrigation, affecting local populations across the whole of northern Italy.

In June it was reported that water was so low in large stretches of Italy’s largest river, the Po, that local residents were walking through the middle of the expanse of sand and shipwrecks were resurfacing.

In a park near the village of Gualtieri, cyclists and hikers stopped to look at the Zibello, a 50-metre-long barge that transported wood during the second world war but sank in 1943. The ship is normally underwater.

On Friday Portugal’s government declared an eight-day state of alert due to a heightened risk of wildfires, with the drought-stricken country preparing for temperatures as high as 43°C. This brings with it “a significant worsening of the wildfire risk” through 15 July, government departments said.

The restrictions adopted Friday include barring public access to forests deemed to be at high risk. In 2017 forest fires killed more than 100 people in Portugal.

At the end of June 96% of the country was