2026 European drought crisis

Jean-Marie Cardebat said France's 2026 harvest could push the country back to third place among wine-producing countries, behind Italy and potentially Spain.

Around 20,000 hectares of vines have been uprooted in the Bordeaux region since 2023, reducing the remaining vineyard area to 83,000 hectares.

France's agriculture ministry has warned that wine production could hit a 70-year low in 2026.

Milna is a village on Brac Island.

Brac Island is located off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.

Strong winds hampered efforts to stop the wildfire near the village of Milna on Brac Island.

The 2026 growing season in Champagne was marked by severe spring frosts, an exceptionally early flowering period and five heatwaves.

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.

NOAA reported that the US had its hottest summer on record in 132 years of weather record-keeping.

Texas and Oklahoma received less than 30 percent of their usual August rainfall.

August was the hottest on record with an average temperature of 24.2C (75.6F).

Reservoir levels were 18.2 percentage points below where they should be for the time of year, according to Defra.

Rainfall in August reached just 34 percent of what would normally be expected by that point in the month, according to Defra.

Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy said drought conditions will continue to worsen until sustained rainfall is received across the country.

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

Cooler air is forecast to move into Northern and Southern California by Saturday.

The heat index is forecast to hit 113 degrees in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

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

The forest fires in Antalya can be seen from as far away as 70 kilometres.

The forest fires in Antalya have forced evacuations near resorts.

Through the C40 Cities network, nearly 100 of the world's biggest cities are sharing climate solutions.

Phoenix is applying cool surface treatment to more than 300 kilometers of neighborhood streets.

Paris has mobilised a network of 27,000 climate volunteers.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu tasked Monique Barbut in late July with presenting new measures to speed up implementation of France's national climate change adaptation plan.

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.

Monique Barbut promised conclusions by the end of September, including a five-year funding plan.

Record-low water levels in Europe are disrupting agriculture.

Record-low water levels in Europe are disrupting shipping.

Record-low water levels in Europe are disrupting nuclear power plants that rely on rivers for cooling.

France recorded 301 drownings since June 19, representing a 14% increase compared to 2025.

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

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

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

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

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 German economy expanded by 0.2% in the second quarter, compared to the previous three-month period.

Falling water levels in the Danube unveiled bones of a mammoth in Bulgaria.

The Danube flows through 10 nations.

Some wrecks were removed from the river by Communist Yugoslav authorities, but most remained because of the explosives they carried.

France recorded at least 5,700 more deaths than usual during a historic heat wave in June.

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

Just over half of the unexpected deaths occurred during and in the immediate wake of the hottest period, over three days from June 25 to June 27.