The Drought of 2018–2019 in the Lusatian Neisse River Catchment in Relation to the Multiannual Conditions

Abstract

The drought event of 2018–2019 significantly affected most of Central Europe. In this study, the development and intensity of drought in the Lusatian Neisse river catchment were evaluated, based on the indices of SPI, SPEI, and low flow periods related to hydrological drought. Furthermore, multiannual variability in the drought indices, as well as the trends for air temperature and precipitation totals, were examined for 1981–2020. In the catchment, deficit of precipitation was noticed from autumn 2017 to spring 2020, additionally accompanied by a high thermal anomaly. In the summer seasons, heat waves occurred, which intensified evaporation and increased water deficit. The meteorological drought already appeared in spring 2018, developed in the following months, and became more intensive. The frequency of days with discharges >Q70% exceeded 55%. According to SPI12 and SPEI12, the episode of 2018–2019 can be assessed as the longest period of severe drought in the whole of 1981–2020. The drought caused various consequences in the region. The deterioration of water quality and selected biological indices was one of the effects. In the sector of agriculture, yield reduction in corn and wheat amounted to 33% and 18% in 2018 and 22% and 9% in 2019. In addition, decrease in hydropower generation by more than 30% was noticed.