Finally the beginning of spring! Who doesn't love sunny days with summer temperatures? However, it would be good for nature if it rained every now and then in the coming weeks. Several experts have officially declared the end of the nationwide drought. Since 2018, many regions across the country have been struggling with extreme water shortages. In many years there was no rain at all in the summers and the precipitation in the winters could not compensate for this. It was only last year and this winter that sufficient precipitation fell again for the first time and groundwater levels rose significantly. And yet some are warning that the drought could return sooner than we would like.

The Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research's drought monitor is currently showing the first yellow coloring in the topsoil in some regions; yellow is the lowest of five drought levels in the system. Agricultural meteorologist Falk Böttcher from the German Weather Service (DWD) warned this week against relying on the wet year 2023. The situation was also initially quite favorable in April 2022. Then there was no precipitation and after just six weeks the drought was an issue again. So in just about a month and a half, the situation had changed fundamentally!

“It’s still a dance on the blade,” says Böttcher. The expert has not yet given the all-clear for forest fires either. The layers close to the surface are crucial. If leaves, twigs and dead material wither during dry periods, the risk of fire increases quickly. In some regions of Germany, a medium risk of forest fires has already been reached again, said Böttcher.

After the drought is before the drought

Extreme weather conditions will eventually dissipate, but the likelihood that they will return is increased in times of climate crisis. Andreas Friedrich, also from the DWD, told SPIEGEL a few months ago: "We have been observing for over 25 years that it rains less in Germany in the summer." When the hoped-for wet finally comes, it is a lot at once. "The widespread land rainfall is decreasing and the torrential heavy rain is increasing."

Meteorologists and climate researchers agree on the long-term trends: droughts and heavy rain events are likely to become more severe in the future because average temperatures are rising worldwide. And the warmer the air is, the more water it can absorb and the more “charged” the rain front is. According to the DWD, the water absorption capacity doubles for every ten degrees Celsius increase in temperature. Surface water evaporates more quickly, plants draw more water from the soil due to the longer summers and people's water consumption also increases in hot weather.

So it's high time to think about sustainable water strategies.

Dramatic drought in southern Europe

Half of the world's population suffers from severe water shortages at least seasonally, more than two billion people live without access to clean drinking water and about 3.5 billion people cannot use clean sanitation facilities, according to the annual UNESCO water report released on Friday.

The water crisis is also becoming more and more noticeable in Europe. In Spain, 2024 is likely to be another disaster year. A water emergency has already been declared in Catalonia. The bottom of many reservoirs can be seen and there is a smell of rotten mud, residents report. Catalonians are already no longer allowed to fill pools, wash cars and their consumption is limited to 200 liters of water per person per day. If the situation worsens, the limit could be reduced to 180 liters in a second phase and to 160 liters in a third phase, the authorities say. A total of 200 cities, villages and communities are affected, including the metropolis of Barcelona. The situation in Andalusia also remains tense. According to meteorologists, it is the worst drought in 1,000 years on the Iberian Peninsula.

The situation is similar in the north of Italy. This winter, 53 percent less snow fell in the Italian Alps than the long-term average. In the Po basin, the country's largest river, rainfall has even fallen by 61 percent, the environmental organization Legambiente warned this week. The organization appealed to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government and demanded a national water strategy. Germany already has such a strategy. It was passed almost exactly a year ago. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of implementation in this country.

I still wish you a nice start to spring – don’t forget to water the city trees!

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Stay confident!

Yours, Susanne Götze,


science editor