France Marks 50 Years Since the 1976 “National Calamity” Drought

In the summer of 1976 France experienced one of the most severe droughts of the 20th century. After a dry winter of 1975‑1976, rainfall deficits continued into spring and May, prompting headlines such as “La France a soif”. By late June a heat wave intensified the dryness, and soil moisture reached the lowest level recorded by Météo‑France since the indicator’s inception in 1959.

Rivers fell dramatically; the Loire near Tours was almost dry and barge traffic on the Rhône halted, allowing people to walk across the river in places. Fires burned roughly 90,000 hectares nationwide. Residents recalled the desolation: “Tout était sec… on se serait cru dans le désert, tout était mort.”

Agriculture was hit hard. Pastures turned to stone, livestock ran out of feed, and the army delivered straw to starving farms. Some farmers were forced to slaughter cattle. Food prices, especially fruits and vegetables, surged. To mitigate the crisis, the government announced an exceptional aid package of 2.2 billion francs in late August, partly financed by a “drought tax” levied on the wealthiest two million French citizens. Rain finally returned in September.