What's the drought situation in Sweden right now?
How will drought affect harvests this summer, and is Sweden still at risk of a water shortage?
Low groundwater levels still affecting some areas
The most recent weather forecast shows that some areas of Sweden are likely to continue having issues with low groundwater levels, particularly in the southern half of the country and in southwest Norrland, according to the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU).
"We've seen levels dropping for a while," SGU groundwater expert Bo Thunholm told TT newswire. "That development has been dampened somewhat due to the rather large amount of rainfall in many areas in Götaland and Svealand," he added.
However, the rainfall last week is not expected to solve issues with low groundwater in the long term.
"We expect that the levels will still continue to drop even though they temporarily slowed down. In many areas in Götaland and Svealand, we can expect to see unusually low groundwater levels in August," he warned, adding that this is particularly true for areas which have had issues with low groundwater levels in the past.
In the short term, he said, nothing can be done other than being careful not to use too much water.
Gotland in particular is one of the most affected areas in Sweden at the moment, due in part to geography -- the island lacks the ability to store groundwater naturally -- and in part to tourism and second homes, which put pressure on water supplies in the region at this time of year.
Grain harvests worse than usual
According to a drought prognosis by agricultural cooperative Lantmännen, Sweden's grain harvest will be lower this year than in a normal year, where the harvest is usually around 5.6 million tonnes.
"We'll have around 20 percent less grain compared to last year," Per Germundsson from Lantmännen told TT.
This year, the grain harvest is expected to be around 4.6 million tonnes, 1.2 million tonnes less than last year.
However, drought this year does seem to be less of an issue for the harvest than in summer 2018, when Sweden experienced an extremely dry period. This is partly due to grains sown in autumn, better temperatures in early summer and rain and cool temperatures so far in July.
"So far it's been extremely dry in May and June," Germundsson said.
"The rain that arrived in the beginning of July isn't compensating for the damage the drought has already caused for farmers. Everyone is comparing it to the 2018 harvest, but the situation isn't as bad as it was then."
Grain prices expected to rise
However, the lower harvest than usual does mean that grain prices in Sweden will be higher than usual this year, especially when compared to other areas with a better harvest, Germundsson said.
A range of factors will affect the extent to which these high prices are passed on to consumers, which ultimately is up for supermarkets to decide, he added.
The main grains grown in Sweden are wheat, oats, rye and corn, which are grown in southern Sweden, Västergötland and Sörmland, with the northernmost producers in Mälardalen, about as far north as Stockholm.
Grains are mainly used for food, animal feed, and in production of ethanol and alcohol for human consumption.
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Low groundwater levels still affecting some areas
The most recent weather forecast shows that some areas of Sweden are likely to continue having issues with low groundwater levels, particularly in the southern half of the country and in southwest Norrland, according to the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU).
"We've seen levels dropping for a while," SGU groundwater expert Bo Thunholm told TT newswire. "That development has been dampened somewhat due to the rather large amount of rainfall in many areas in Götaland and Svealand," he added.
However, the rainfall last week is not expected to solve issues with low groundwater in the long term.
"We expect that the levels will still continue to drop even though they temporarily slowed down. In many areas in Götaland and Svealand, we can expect to see unusually low groundwater levels in August," he warned, adding that this is particularly true for areas which have had issues with low groundwater levels in the past.
In the short term, he said, nothing can be done other than being careful not to use too much water.
Gotland in particular is one of the most affected areas in Sweden at the moment, due in part to geography -- the island lacks the ability to store groundwater naturally -- and in part to tourism and second homes, which put pressure on water supplies in the region at this time of year.
Grain harvests worse than usual
According to a drought prognosis by agricultural cooperative Lantmännen, Sweden's grain harvest will be lower this year than in a normal year, where the harvest is usually around 5.6 million tonnes.
"We'll have around 20 percent less grain compared to last year," Per Germundsson from Lantmännen told TT.
This year, the grain harvest is expected to be around 4.6 million tonnes, 1.2 million tonnes less than last year.
However, drought this year does seem to be less of an issue for the harvest than in summer 2018, when Sweden experienced an extremely dry period. This is partly due to grains sown in autumn, better temperatures in early summer and rain and cool temperatures so far in July.
"So far it's been extremely dry in May and June," Germundsson said.
"The rain that arrived in the beginning of July isn't compensating for the damage the drought has already caused for farmers. Everyone is comparing it to the 2018 harvest, but the situation isn't as bad as it was then."
Grain prices expected to rise
However, the lower harvest than usual does mean that grain prices in Sweden will be higher than usual this year, especially when compared to other areas with a better harvest, Germundsson said.
A range of factors will affect the extent to which these high prices are passed on to consumers, which ultimately is up for supermarkets to decide, he added.
The main grains grown in Sweden are wheat, oats, rye and corn, which are grown in southern Sweden, Västergötland and Sörmland, with the northernmost producers in Mälardalen, about as far north as Stockholm.
Grains are mainly used for food, animal feed, and in production of ethanol and alcohol for human consumption.
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