In pictures: Drought hits parts of Europe

Updated / Monday, 8 Aug 2022 16:53
A boat sits on the dry riverbed of the Brenets Lake on the border between France and Switzerland. The river has dried up due to a combination of factors, including geological faults that drain the river, decreased rainfall and heatwaves
A boat sits on the dry riverbed of the Brenets Lake on the border between France and Switzerland. The river has dried up due to a combination of factors, including geological faults that drain the river, decreased rainfall and heatwaves

Several countries across Europe have been gripped by drought following a series of extreme heatwaves after an unusually dry winter.

Parts of Spain are the driest they have been in 1,000 years due to an atmospheric high-pressure system driven by climate change, according to a study published last month in the journal, Nature Geoscience.

France is braced for a fourth heatwave this summer as its worst drought on record left villages without safe drinking water and farmers warned of a looming milk shortage in the winter.

Meanwhile, people in England are being urged not to light fires and retailers are being urged to ban sales of disposable barbecues as the country also faces another heatwave in already tinder-dry conditions.

Parched trees are seen on the dry bank of the Rhine river in Bonn, Germany
Parched trees are seen on the dry bank of the Rhine river in Bonn, Germany
The water level drops on the River Waal in Nijmegen in the Netherlands
The water level drops on the River Waal in Nijmegen in the Netherlands
A pigeon cools off in Regent's Park in London. A hosepipe ban is in force in parts of England as the temperatures climb
A pigeon cools off in Regent's Park in London. A hosepipe ban is in force in parts of England as the temperatures climb
The drought-stricken waters of the River Po in Italy are running so low they revealed a previously submerged World War II bomb
The drought-stricken waters of the River Po in Italy are running so low they revealed a previously submerged World War II bomb
A dried out corncob is seen in a corn field in Rogoza, Slovenia. Slovenia is experiencing its worst drought for 50 years prompting the government to consider declaring a natural disaster
A dried out corncob is seen in a corn field in Rogoza, Slovenia. Slovenia is experiencing its worst drought for 50 years prompting the government to consider declaring a natural disaster
Sandbanks are visible as water levels fall on the Loire river in western France. France is experiencing a drought exacerbated by a third extreme heatwave this summer
Sandbanks are visible as water levels fall on the Loire river in western France. France is experiencing a drought exacerbated by a third extreme heatwave this summer
The almost empty bed of the Taro river, a tributary of the Po river, near Fornovo. Northern Italy is battling its worst drought in 70 years
The almost empty bed of the Taro river, a tributary of the Po river, near Fornovo. Northern Italy is battling its worst drought in 70 years
A view of the Cubillas reservoir in Granada, Spain. Water levels in Spanish reservoirs continue to drop due to a lack of rain and severe heatwaves
A view of the Cubillas reservoir in Granada, Spain. Water levels in Spanish reservoirs continue to drop due to a lack of rain and severe heatwaves

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