Europe's climate at the beginning of the year (too) wet and mild in the north - too warm and dry in the south The EU-COM Agricultural Meteorological Institute (MARS) evaluated the climate data from January to mid-February 2024 in its monthly edition. The classification of the key figures is based on the long-term average values for these two months. Persistent rainfall in the Benelux countries and north-west Germany led to soil water saturation and even waterlogging and local flooding in low-lying areas. A similar development was observed in Denmark and southeast Sweden. The consequences are partial damage to the crops and restrictions on the cultivation of the fields. An impairment of harvest results is expected. In contrast, the high rainfall surpluses in eastern Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and central Romania, with a focus on early February-2024, have led to the necessary water reserves being replenished. The seed stands are in good condition.
However, in southeastern Romania and northeastern Bulgaria, rainfall only reached half of the long-term average values. The winter crops there have visibly suffered damage. In addition to the lack of rain, above-average temperatures were recorded in Spain . As a result, the water shortage is worsening and reaching critical proportions in some Mediterranean coastal areas. Above-average dryness is observed in much of Italy and even a severe drought in Sicily. There is ongoing drought in Morocco and western Algeria , which will lead to further crop failures and increased grain imports in the future. Average climatic conditions are found for France , which are beneficial for winter sowing.
