France is experiencing a very dry winter. Since January 21, less than 1 millimeter of precipitation per day fell across the country. That is the longest period in winter without significant rain ever measured in France, reports the national weather service Météo-France.
The current number of days without rain in winter is “unprecedented” in France, says the weather agency. Météo-France has been holding rainfall records since 1959. On Tuesday, 31 days without rain were recorded.
Due to the lack of precipitation, the French soil is exceptionally parched for the time of year. The south of France has been particularly hard hit.
France has been suffering from a prolonged drought since the summer of 2021. Since then, there has been too little rain in almost all months. Sufficient precipitation fell only in December 2021, June 2022 and September 2022.
In addition to the lack of rain, there is also less snow in the mountains than normal for this time of year. The period from September to March is crucial for replenishing water supplies from melted snow, the weather service says.
In addition, it has been warmer than average in France for twelve months in a row. Since the measurements were kept in 1947, such a long series of ‘too warm’ months has never been measured.
The dry period is expected to end on Wednesday. It will rain in the south of the country.
