The most at risk from drought, the European Observatory warns of Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Albania

More than a third of Europe, including parts of tourist destinations such as Spain, Greece and Italy, are now in drought.

March was the warmest ever recorded in Europe - a trend driven by climate change - and also saw below-average rainfall in large parts of the north and east of the continent, writes Sky News.

41.2% of Europe now finds itself in some form of drought, according to the latest update from the EU's European Drought Observatory, which covers the period from 11 to 20 May.

It is most acute in areas of southeastern Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Albania, where the strongest category of "alert" has been issued, as well as in parts of Poland and Ukraine.

But parts of northern and eastern Europe through France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine are also drying up, raising concerns about crop yields.

On Thursday, the UK Environment Agency officially declared a drought in North West England after river and reservoir levels dropped from a dry spring.

Wildfire season could be 'particularly difficult'

This year's hot and dry conditions are also fueling the risk of another wildfire season in Greece.

Last week, the Minister of Civil Protection, Ioannis Kefalogiannis, warned of a "difficult" summer.

He said a record number of 18,000 firefighters have been deployed to the country and the drone fleet has almost doubled to fight the fires that are being fueled by a hotter climate.

Droughts and their causes are more complicated, but scientists at World Weather Attribution say global warming is worsening drought in some parts of the world, including around the Mediterranean. 

They found that the 2022 drought, which spread across the Northern Hemisphere, was made 20 times more likely by climate change.

The International Hydropower Association said drought and heavy rains in Europe are pushing power plants to "operate at the limits of their existing equipment".

Extreme weather costs the EU an estimated €28.3 billion (£23.8 billion) in crop and livestock losses per year, according to insurance firm Howden.