Flood of rain and drought: Northern Germany is fighting for fertile soil!

Flood of rain and drought: Northern Germany is fighting for fertile soil!

When the rain falls over northern Germany, it is a relief for many. But the reality is more complex. Current data from the German Weather Service provides insight into the complex situation of soil moisture: In many regions the soil is more than adequately supplied with water, while other areas are struggling with drought. NDR reported that in July 2025 there was sometimes twice as much precipitation as the long-term average. These fluctuations not only have an impact on agriculture, but also on the climate as a whole.

In Northern Germany, 46.9% of the areas are currently well supplied with water, 34.8% suffer from over-moisture, while 18.3% have soil that is too dry. Schleswig-Holstein is particularly noticeable, where an impressive 85.9% of the areas are considered too wet. Agricultural businesses are now struggling with the consequences of these extreme moisture conditions, which is seriously affecting the grain harvest.

The challenges for agriculture

What does this mean for farmers? They face the challenge of saving the crop in such changeable conditions. Wet soil makes harvesting work more difficult; At the same time, too much water poses a risk of root rot, while dry periods impair photosynthesis. Climate change acts like a multiplier that influences the duration of large-scale weather conditions and thus extremely lengthens both dry and rainy periods EU determines. 

It's no secret that agricultural ecosystems have a significant impact on climate change. They absorb around 25-30% of man-made CO2 emissions. But the current uncertainty in soil moisture is also undermining climate change itself, because the interactions between soil moisture, vegetation and climate are crucial. Researchers have found that current climate models often underestimate the connection between droughts and the carbon cycle, making predictions inaccurate.

Climate models and their uncertainties

Current Earth system models urgently need improvement to enable a more accurate assessment of future climatic developments. The DROUGHT-HEAT project aims to help by using new sources of information to make more precise diagnoses about land-climate interactions. Among other things, the effects of extreme weather conditions, which were already discussed in the study by Beillouin et al. (2020) should be better understood.

As climate change comes into greater focus, it is crucial that farmers and decision-makers can work with science-based forecasts. The bpb highlights how important it is that strategies for adapting to climate change in agriculture are consistently developed. Understanding weather extremes could take a big step forward here.

The ongoing challenges caused by weather extremes and the uncertainties in forecasting show no end. Whether drought or unwanted excess moisture – it will be exciting to see how the situation will develop in the coming months. In any case, one thing is clear: dealing with these extreme weather conditions must be a high priority for both society and nature in the coming years.