Bavaria’s water deficit deepens after record-dry spring

Bavaria has experienced its driest spring since records began in 1881, followed by record heat and extreme evaporation, BR reported. Vegetation is suffering from severe water stress, while groundwater levels remain low across much of the state.

The Bavarian State Office for the Environment said 86 percent of near-surface groundwater monitoring stations, springs and related measuring points showed low levels. The same was true at 79 percent of monitoring stations in deeper groundwater bodies.

The last significant rainfall across Bavaria came between July 14 and 19, producing an average of 22 millimetres. The total included local thunderstorms with heavy rain, hail and strong gusts. During the following four weeks, however, Bavaria was almost completely dry, according to Stephan Weigand, an agricultural meteorologist at the Bavarian State Research Institute for Agriculture.

More than half of all weather stations recorded less than 10 millimetres of rain during that period, despite persistently high summer temperatures. From March to July, Bavaria received just under 240 millimetres of rain, compared with the usual 420 millimetres. “We are currently short of about 2.4 months of precipitation,” Weigand said.

Summer thunderstorms usually bring rain only to local areas, while widespread rainfall has been almost entirely absent this year. High evaporation has further increased the deficit, and plants are using much of the available water, leaving less to replenish groundwater.

Experts advise people watering gardens to do so in the early morning or evening, when less water evaporates, and to apply it close to plant roots. Lawns generally need less attention, Weigand said: Thorough watering once a week is sufficient. Even grass that looks yellow-brown and dead can recover if its roots remain intact.

Trees, however, should be watered where possible. They are under severe heat stress and may shed their leaves to protect their trunks and roots. This can be seen in birch trees and other species.

Bavarian forests are also suffering from the prolonged drought. Tree species have different water needs, and trees such as willows and spruce have shallow roots, unlike pines, oaks and firs. Trees can withstand dry conditions more easily when they have access to groundwater, Weigand said. In a deciduous forest, about 20 percent of annual rainfall remains caught in the leaves and evaporates without reaching the ground.

The State Office for the Environment does not expect groundwater conditions to improve before the winter half-year at the earliest. It says an exceptionally rainy winter period from November 2026 to April 2027 would be needed for groundwater reserves to recover sustainably and across the state, including in areas far from flowing water.