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Western Europe drought and heat strain unirrigated crops
France has seen monthly rainfall less than half of normal for April through June, with parts of central France getting 25% or less of typical precipitation over the 90-day period ended July 13.
Unirrigated crop survival in western Europe has come under pressure after four months of dryness, followed by weeks of excessive heat, according to World Grain. The outlet says no major agricultural area in the mid-latitudes has been as dry as western Europe during that stretch.
The drought has been accompanied by a sustained precipitation shortfall. World Grain reports rainfall has been well below normal in France, parts of the United Kingdom, and some neighboring areas of western Germany and Belgium since mid-March, with the most significant anomalies beginning in April.
World Grain adds that monthly rainfall in France was less than half of normal for April, May, and June, and that in a portion of central France, conditions delivered no more than 25% of normal precipitation in the 90-day period ended July 13. It also notes that temperatures in late June and early July were often well above normal, including a major heat wave around June 22.
The outlet says crop and livestock stress in France has reached extreme levels and that some production losses have already occurred, with additional losses possible after brief reprieves in the most recent days. World Grain also notes that while the northern US Plains have started to draw attention for heat and dryness, the situation there is described as less severe than in France and nearby regions including Germany, Belgium, and the UK.