Drought conditions remained stable and critical in most of Europe and worsened in central-western Europe in mid-July. The Baltic Sea region, the Iberian Peninsula and Italy show some areas of recovery but watch, warning and alert conditions persist.
Europe experienced above-average temperatures with an extensive and prolonged heatwave in the first half of July, moving from the Iberian Peninsula to central-western Europe and then to Italy and the central and western coasts of the Mediterranean.
According to the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) based on ERA5 data, in late July, negative anomalies are present in central and southwestern Europe, northernmost North America, central America, northwestern and central-eastern South America, central Andes, central and eastern Africa, Madagascar, and northernmost, central, southwestern, and southeastern Asia.
Additional information related to food security can be found on the European Commission's Anomaly Hotspots of Agricultural Production (ASAP).
