Half of Czechia affected by severe soil drought due to dry and warm winter

Almost half of Czechia’s territory is already affected by the three most severe levels of soil drought, with 13 percent of the country experiencing extreme drought, according to the latest map on the InterSucho project website. The situation is significantly worse in the topsoil layer up to 40 centimetres, especially as crops are just beginning to emerge. The reason is also a warm winter with very little precipitation, said climatologist Pavel Zahradníček from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute and the CzechGlobe.

Soil drought up to a depth of one metre began to develop gradually in March and worsened significantly in April, when temperatures rose and vegetation started consuming water. Only 14 percent of the territory shows no signs of drought. Scientists define it as a deviation from the average state between 1961 and 2015.