2026 European drought crisis

Everyday wine consumption in France fell from almost 50% of the population in 1960 to under 10% in 2018.

Florent Latour is CEO of Maison Louis Latour, the largest owner of Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy.

In 2026, around 4% of all of France's vines will be pulled as part of a government support program paying growers 4,000 euros per hectare for permanently removing vines.

Croatian authorities issued an emergency alert regarding a wildfire on Brac Island.

Milna is a village on Brac Island.

Brac Island is located off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.

The 2026 champagne vintage is unlikely to hit shelves until 2028.

Extreme heat and drought produced grapes with exceptionally higher sugar levels.

French champagne producers have been allowed to raise the alcohol content in a bottle of bubbly for the first time following the 2026 summer heatwave.

Water Minister Emma Hardy, who chairs the National Drought Group, said the climate has changed and the government will continue to take all action necessary.

Nelms's uncle, who has worked the farm for more than 40 years, has just suffered the worst harvest of his career.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said farmers now lack breathing space and are increasingly exposed to geopolitical shocks, repeated weather extremes, animal disease, and global wars.

According to NOAA, four of the five hottest US summers have occurred in the past five years.

WMO chief Celeste Saulo said the strengthening El Nino could become stronger than anything since monitoring began four decades ago.

NOAA expects a warmer-than-usual September across much of the US.

Extreme heat warnings are in place from San Diego to Las Vegas to Phoenix.

More than 90 million people from California to Kentucky are under alerts for dangerously hot conditions.

Some local meteorologists are calling the conditions in Southern California some of the most extreme they can remember.

The forest fires in Antalya have forced evacuations near resorts.

Forest fires broke out in Turkey's Antalya province on or before September 8, 2026.

Hundreds of firefighters are battling the forest fires in Antalya.

The mayors of Paris, Milan, and Phoenix met in London during a heatwave that coincided with London Climate Action Week.

The authors of the article are Emmanuel Grégoire, Giuseppe Sala, and Kate Gallego, the mayors of Paris, Milan, and Phoenix.

Across Europe, more than 14,000 people lost their lives due to heat during the summer.

France recorded 2,025 excess deaths during the heatwave, with a particular increase among people aged over 45.

France recorded its hottest summer ever in 2026.

According to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s.

Drought and extreme heat are drying up rivers and farmland across Europe.

Record-low water levels in Europe are disrupting shipping.

Record-low water levels in Europe are disrupting agriculture.

Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari stated that many fatal swimming accidents occurred in unauthorized or unsupervised areas.

A nuclear power plant in southwest France temporarily shut down during the June heatwave because River Garonne water temperatures exceeded 28C.

Wildfires in late July forced over 200,000 people from their homes in the Gironde area around Bordeaux.

Officials state that as much as two-thirds of England is experiencing drought following months of heatwaves and unusually dry weather.

The water level at Kaub on the Rhine River fell to 24 centimeters on Monday and Tuesday.

Liz Saccoccia said nuclear plants in Hungary, Romania and France, along with hydropower facilities in Serbia, have had to reduce electricity generation because there isn't enough water for cooling or driving turbines.

The Romanian navy blasted rocks in controlled explosions in Izvoarele village to divert water toward the cooling systems of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant.

Specialists identified a jawbone, fragments of tusks, part of a shoulder blade, and a femur with its articular head among the stash of mammoth bones.

The Danube is the second longest river in Europe.

The Serbian government, with European Union financial support, has long been trying to address the shipwrecks in the Danube.

The agency had previously reported around 2,000 additional deaths from all causes for the week of June 22 to June 28.

France registered its hottest-ever days on June 24 and June 25, with a national average of 30 C (86 F).

The excess mortality was the highest from any heat wave in France since 2003.