Drought Bulletin December 2023
Globally, 2023 was the hottest year on record since the pre-industrial era (1850-1900), with an average anomaly of almost +1.5°C, and two days in November that exceeded 2°C for the first time. In 2023, Europe experienced unusually high temperatures, with 11 out of 12 months recording temperatures above the historical average. Focusing on Italy, the […]
Drought Bulletin September 2023
Even September has been a record-breaking month on a global scale, ranking as the hottest, with a +0.93°C deviation from the 1991-2020 average. In Europe, it was even 2.51°C warmer than the norm. Sea surface temperatures were also exceptional, making this September the second warmest of all months, just after August 2023. Concerning rainfall, this […]
Drought Bulletin July 2023
On a global scale, July 2023 has proven to be the warmest month on record. Extreme events have also characterized this month. Intense heatwaves have affected the northern hemisphere, causing environmental damage (fires have devastated various areas, from Canada to the Mediterranean, particularly in Algeria, Greece, Italy, and Spain) and impacting human health. Considering monthly […]
Drought Bulletin June 2023
In June, the long-lasting drought (24 months) at the European level continues to hold its grip, especially over the western Mediterranean areas and the east. Meanwhile, Scandinavia, particularly Sweden, is grappling with a significant rainfall deficit in the last 3 months, April to June, affecting over half of the territory. In Italy, the rains of […]
FAO-IRI Joint Event: Empowering Innovation for Drought and Agriculture
In the face of escalating climate change impacts and the growing consequences of drought, it is imperative to develop adaptive and mitigative measures across all facets of agrifood systems. Research and technological innovation are indispensable tools to avert economic and social crises and foster sustainability. Efforts must be concentrated on comprehensive actions that encompass policy […]
Drought Bulletin May 2023
In late May, the long-lasting drought across Europe continues to tighten its grip, particularly in the western Mediterranean and eastern regions. Persistent drought has plagued various parts of southwestern Europe for almost two years, despite May’s rainfall (in some cases even flooding), which has reduced the accumulated deficits in the short and medium term. In […]
Drought Bulletin April 2023
The situation in Europe at the end of April still shows a significant portion of the eastern territories affected by long-term rainfall deficits, but a significant problem emerges in the western regions, particularly in Spain, where approximately 38% of the territory is affected by a prolonged drought caused not only by low precipitation but also […]
Drought Observatory: Bulletin February 2023
The Drought Observatory Bulletin in brief In February, drought conditions are still intense in several European countries. In addition to the rainfall deficit, soil moisture anomalies at the end of the month affected not only the Po Valley and several regions of southern Italy but also vast areas of Spain, France, and even southern Great […]
The December Drought Bulletin by Drought Observatory
The year 2022 turned out to be a year of climatic extremes. It was amongst the hottest, probably the hottest year for the central-western European and central Mediterranean countries: nine out of twelve months recorded positive anomalies, and the summer was characterized by extremes including an intense heatwave, drought, record temperatures, extreme heat stress and […]
