Lac des Brenets dries up amid record heat in France and Switzerland

Lac des Brenets, located on the border between France and Switzerland, has dried up following a period of record-breaking heat and drought. The disappearance of the lake has halted local pleasure boat tourism and caused the 27-meter-high waterfall fed by the Doubs River to stop flowing.

Local residents and business owners have expressed deep distress over the environmental changes. The drying of the lake is attributed to a combination of below-average rainfall, repeated heatwaves, and geological fissures that drain water into the subsoil. In Switzerland, the months of June, July, and August were recorded as the hottest since measurements began in 1864.