Britain declares drought as rivers dry up

Fish are rotting in the sun and boats that haven’t been seen in decades are resurfacing across Europe. On Friday, the British government declared a drought in southern and central England. France is in the middle of its worst drought on record. The European Commission’s Joint Research Center said it could get worse this week and potentially affect 47 percent of the continent.

What’s happening to Europeans? About 10,000 people had to relocate because of a wildfire in France that has covered about 26 square miles. Shipping is also being disrupted across the continent. Water levels on the Rhine River in Germany are critically low, meaning ships that would usually carry 2,200 metric tons of cargo such as gasoline and coal are only able to transport about 600 tons.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in WORLD magazine on the drought in the western United States.