Increasing concern about dry conditions in the south

Dry weather remains a concern in southern regions

A severe rain deficit is observed in southern Spain and Portugal. Soil moisture levels are very low and rainfall is urgently needed. Moreover, water reservoirs for irrigation in most of southern Spain remain at a very low level, which may also have an impact on crop choice for spring sowings. In northern and central Italy, the prolonged precipitation deficit has strongly reduced the water level in reservoirs (including in the form of snow packs in the mountains) and is causing concern about water availability for irrigation during late spring and summer.

Winter crops in Hungary, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus are in good condition, but soil moisture levels are low and more rain is needed to meet increasing crop water demands as spring progresses.

The prolonged drought in the Maghreb region, has already caused significant negative impacts on crops.

In Türkiye, only western regions remain dry.  In other parts of the country recent abundant and locally damaging rain mitigated the dry conditions.

In most of France, Southern Germany and the United Kingdom, the rainfall deficit observed since mid-January has been mitigated by well distributed precipitation in March and more rain is expected in the next 10 days. As a consequence those regions are not marked on the map.

Rainfall surplus, so far mostly beneficial, is observed in eastern Germany, western Romania and southern Russia.

New study on drought in Europe

A multi-sectoral analysis of the dry conditions and their impacts can be found in the recent JRC Report Drought in Europe.

Crop yield forecasts still based on historical trends

As it is still early in the season, the crop yield forecasts reported in the Bulletin are – with a few exceptions - based on historical trends.

Further information

JRC MARS (Monitoring Agricultural Resources) Bulletins

JRC AGRI4CAST Toolbox

The latest information about global agricultural production hotspots for countries at risk of food insecurity is available on the JRC’s ASAP (Anomaly hot Spots of Agricultural Production).