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All the latest on drought: articles, analysis and ongoing coverage from Lost in the Jungle.
World
The president of France’s Grand Est region called on the European Commission on Tuesday to introduce a major European plan to safeguard agriculture and support its future. According to Le Monde, the request follows a summer marked by exceptional drought and substantial losses across several agricultural sectors.
World
The first violent storms following weeks of drought caused minimal damage across most of Baden-Württemberg, according to Die Zeit. However, some regions experienced damage. Police reported numerous interventions in the Rhine-Neckar district following the storms. Hockenheim was particularly affected on Sunday evening.
Climate
El Niño 2026, described as a record episode with early onset, is already causing droughts and crop losses across three continents. The climate phenomenon is characterized by warmer-than-average waters in the eastern South Pacific. As of August 12, 2026, impacts are already significant. The peak of this episode has not yet been reached and is expected to occur later in the year, potentially several months away.
Climate
The Financial Times is hosting a live "Ask an Expert" session today at 1 p.m. BST on droughts and wildfires. FT economics columnist Pilita Clark and climate correspondent Attracta Mooney will answer questions submitted by the audience.
World
Romania is completely shutting down the Cernavoda nuclear power plant because of the Danube’s low flow, according to Le Monde. Cernavoda is the country’s only nuclear power plant and normally accounts for one-fifth of Romania’s total electricity generation. This is its first complete shutdown since the 2003 heatwave.
Climate
A wildfire broke out in Kouvaras, southeast of Athens, on August 10, 2026, according to Le Monde. Strong winds are fanning the flames, and authorities have ordered the evacuation of the nearby village of Agios Stylianos. At least 172 firefighters and around 40 vehicles have been deployed. The fire follows several summer wildfires in Spain and France. Drought and heatwaves are creating conditions conducive to fires across southern Europe, while researchers say the annual risk is increasing in connection with human-caused climate change.
Climate
In Saxony, Germany, drought is affecting multiple reservoirs that cannot reach their target fill levels, according to Saxony's State Water Management Administration (Landestalsperrenverwaltung, LTV). As of August 6, 2026, the region's drinking water reservoirs show an average fill level of 81.6%, with significant regional disparities. Vogtland and the Western Ore Mountains (Western Erzgebirge) show satisfactory levels, between 86 and 95%. The Central and Eastern Ore Mountains (Central and Eastern Erzgebirge) are experiencing the effects of the drought more acutely.
Climate
The heatwave that hit Western Europe in late July 2026 is moving towards central and southern regions of the continent. In Hungary, the Danube's low water levels prevent the Paks nuclear power plant from cooling its reactors safely. Most of the plant's production has been shut down since August 3, 2026—a first in 44 years. Temperatures near 40°C are expected across broad areas of central and southern Europe, with 37°C forecast for Budapest and Vienna. A complete shutdown of the plant is expected before the end of the week.
World
Drought is affecting several sectors across Switzerland. Farmers have brought livestock down from higher ground, while Lake Brenets has dried up and images of the lake are circulating worldwide. At Lake Chaillexon, falling water levels are disrupting boat operators and have forced some people to leave the business. Heat is also putting pressure on electrical systems. Along the Lake Neuchâtel shoreline, water shortages are visibly affecting forests, including the undergrowth, as local forestry services seek to manage a transformation driven by drought and heat.
Climate
On July 24, 2026, French overseas territories face multiple simultaneous crises. Drought grips Futuna, Réunion, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, with seven municipalities in Réunion under water restrictions. In New Caledonia, heavy rainfall triggered deadly flooding: a man drowned in Touho after his vehicle was swept away on a flooded passage. In Martinique, a daytime shooting in the Terres Sainville neighborhood of Fort-de-France killed a man in his twenties, bringing the year's firearm homicide count to 18.
Switzerland
Drought is depriving Switzerland's alpine pastures—seasonal mountain grazing lands—of drinking water for livestock, threatening the survival of mountain herds. According to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, each dairy cow drinks up to 100 liters of water per day, yet high-altitude water reserves are depleting despite adequate grass stocks. Alpine farmers fear emergency culls if the water shortage persists. Last week's thunderstorms provided only temporary relief: soils, streams, and groundwater aquifers remain in growing deficit. The drought is also raising the risk of forest fires across Switzerland.
World
On July 16, 2026, a viral video credited to AP shows a freight train surrounded by a wall of flames in Ontario, Canada, as the province battles more than 100 simultaneous wildfires. Hundreds of evacuation orders have been issued across Ontario, and Toronto is choked by thick smoke from the raging blazes. The crisis extends beyond North America: burned areas across Europe are 40 to 60 percent above average for July 2026. Active fires are devastating northern Algeria and the Fontainebleau forest in France. In French-speaking Switzerland, several cantons have imposed water restrictions due to record precipitation deficits dating back to 1864.
World
Forest fires are multiplying across Europe and beyond on July 16, 2026, with burned areas running 40–60% above average, according to France 24. Fires are ravaging northern Algeria and Fontainebleau Forest in France, devastating local wildlife and flora. In Ontario, Canada, hundreds of evacuation orders have been issued, with Toronto engulfed in smoke. French-speaking Switzerland faces a record precipitation deficit since 1864, prompting several cantons and municipalities to impose water restrictions.