Denmark goes two weeks without rain for first time since 2006

A normally rainy country, Denmark has not seen a drop of rain in over two weeks for the first time in 17 years, the country's meteorological agency DMI said Wednesday, June 7.

DMI noted that "there are indications that longer periods without precipitation may be related to climate change, but this is an area of ongoing research."

Much of the Nordics are in the midst of an unusually spring dry spell, raising concerns about forest fires, particularly in Sweden.

May was the driest in Denmark for 15 years, and meteorologists are not predicting any rain in the coming days.

"If we do not register precipitation today, we will have 15 days in a row without precipitation," DMI said in a statement to AFP Wednesday, adding it was "the absolute longest period without precipitation" recorded since Jan. 1, 2006.

Located in the temperate zone of northern Europe, the Scandinavian country rarely experiences long periods without precipitation.

According to authorities, there is likely to be little or no rainfall in the coming weeks, leading to an increased risk of forest fires. 

"In recent weeks, the municipal emergency services have responded to a greater number of fires than in previous years," the Danish Emergency Management Agency said on Tuesday, June 6.

As far back as 2007 and 2008, 14 consecutive days without rainfall were recorded. 

In Sweden, where it rained a quarter of the average expected for May, the risk of fires is considered "high" or "very high" in most of the south and center of the country. 

There is no sign of rain for the next ten days, according to national weather agency SMHI, which has compared the conditions in 2023 to those in 2018, a year that saw a high number of wildfires. (AFP)