For various sectors, such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and water supply, it is important to know at an early stage whether a drought is imminent.

For this reason, the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN issues warnings when a prolonged dry period is likely. Various measures help to limit the damage caused by drought.

Drought can cause damage to plants and crops, increase the risk of forest fires and lead to bottlenecks in the availability of water resources for agriculture or for the general public. The intensity and duration of droughts depends on various factors, e.g. precipitation deficit, soil moisture content, water levels of rivers and lakes or the amount of groundwater and snow (water reservoirs). Various measures help to limit drought damage.

The drought can cause damage, for example, by visibly and long-term damaging agriculture (desiccation of the soil, formation of cracks, crop damage, etc.).

The risk of forest fires may persist. Find out more about the risk of forest fires.

With certain measures, you can better prepare for future dry periods. For more information, please visit the drought platform.