Rain has become rare due to global warming and climate change. Long periods of drought and no rain starts to have a negative effect on soil and harvest.
The worst situation is in Zlín, Central Moravia, and eastern Bohemia. “Year 2018 is another of the dry years that we are experiencing regularly since 2012,” comments Pavel Zahradníček, a climatologist at the Institute for Global Change Research, Academy of Sciences. The worst of all was in 2015, especially during the months of July and August when more than four-fifths of the country was negatively impacted by the weather.
“In recent years, drought has become a big problem, it’s not just a media bubble,” says Zahradníček. “And the prediction in the future clearly speaks that dry periods will grow and become more intense.”
According to experts, the main reason is the increased air temperature, which causes more dry landscapes. This spring also made history, as it became the second warmest in 244 years. “Another cause is the dry winter of recent years,” notes Milan Šálek, a meteorologist from Amper Meteo. In short, the country needs more heavy snow, which has not recently been happening.
This year’s drought, according to the Czech Statistical Office, will be reflected in the harvested crops. Grain harvests will most likely be 8% lower than last year.
Author: A.M.
