Severe drought persists in Sicilia
Despite the onset of the rainy season, Sicilia (Italy) continues to be affected by a severe drought. The prolonged heatwave intensified the drought, leading to bare soil becoming visible in many Sicilian rivers. This water shortage is affecting certain areas of the island, particularly impacting agricultural irrigation. Citrus groves, which require a significant amount of water, are facing a critical situation. The Permanent Observatory of Sicily's water usage has issued an orange alert, warning that if the situation persists, it could escalate to a red alert.
According to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service‘s European Drought Observatory (EDO), 45% of the region is currently in drought alert conditions.
In these images acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 2 January 2023 and 2024 respectively, the development of the drought in the last year is clearly visible.
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