The French meteorological service said there was no rain on the French mainland for 32 days, the longest period of precipitation expected to end in light rain on Wednesday. It is less than 1 millimeter per day on the mainland, the longest consecutive period (rain delay) since measurements began in 1959, according to this government agency.
In addition, this long period is more worrisome as it falls in winter, a key period of groundwater restructuring, against the backdrop of accumulated rainfall deficits since August 2021 and after exceptional droughts and heat waves in 2022, in vivid embodiment of the effects of climate change.
This consecutive period of precipitation exceeds that which the country experienced in 2020, which lasted 31 days from March 17 to April 16 during the first phase of the general closure with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, this streak is expected to end on Wednesday with an expected wave of light rain from the west of the country, which does not fuel this optimism. The French meteorological service said: “February 2023 is expected to end with a decrease in precipitation of more than 50%, and thus it has become one of the driest months on record.”
This record level is part of an extended drought. According to the French Meteorological Service, since “August 2021, no rain has been recorded in all months except December 2021, June 2022 and September 2022.”
Across the Pyrenees, in Catalonia, Spain, the water supply is currently only 28.7% of capacity, compared with an average of 72% over the past 10 years, according to the latest Water Bulletin. According to the research institute Fondazione Cima, northern Italy is also not immune from this situation, as snow-related water resources are 43% less than the average over the past 10 years.
