France faces exceptional drought as soil moisture hits record low

After three successive heatwaves, France’s soils have become unusually dry. Météo‑France reported that soil humidity reached an "extremely low" level for early summer, prompting the Environment Minister Monique Barbut to describe the situation as an "exceptional drought".

The drought now affects 98 of France’s 101 departments, with 213 prefectural water‑restriction orders in force and 47 departments placed under a crisis level. Only the Nièvre department remains largely unaffected. In the Vosges, the crisis level has been declared and about twenty communes are struggling to secure drinking‑water supplies.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation as water scarcity spreads across the southwestern quarter, the Jura, and Alsace regions.