Besides this drought situation, 68 departments are now affected by water use restrictions.

It’s a sad record. July 2020 will “probably” be the driest July in 60 years, according to the weather service Météo France. At the same time, 68 departments are now affected by water use restrictions, according to the Propluvia website of the Ministry of Ecological Transition. And they do not expect the situation to get any better soon, as a new heatwave is expected to begin.

Insufficient rainfall worsens the drought

“From July 1 to 28, 2020, the average rainfall over France was only 28% of normal values for this period,” said Météo France. A rainfall deficit which particularly strikes regions situated from the south-west to the Loire Valley, and those in the north-east. Despite the thunderstorms that hit the country last weekend, July 2020 should be the driest July since 1959, explains the meteorological institute.

READ ALSO – One out of three French people still throws rubbish out of their car windows

The situation is especially tough for farmers, who are trying out different techniques to deal with water scarcity. “The 2020 crop is bad for French cereal growers,” said Arthur Portier, a consultant with Agritel, a French agricultural market consultancy, to franceinfo.