France breaks “all drought records”.
Nationally, the country has never experienced such dry soil "since at least 1959," said Serge Zaka.
“The soil water index has reached an absolute record.
On average, we only had 15% more water available in the soil,” explains the agroclimatologist.
If the rain and storms have been back for almost a week in France, it is still too early to claim victory over the end of the drought, warns Serge Zaka.
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“We have such a record deficit that it takes several weeks of precipitation to catch up, explains the expert, his eternal hat screwed on his head.
“However, according to the seasonal forecasts, this is not what emerges from the scenarios in September, October and November”.
Added to this is the problem of permeability of desiccated soils.
“At the end of droughts, a crust forms on the surface and prevents water from penetrating optimally into the soil.
Instead of having a sponge effect, the land therefore has more of a "slide" effect: the water runs off, increasing the risk of flooding.