Although the natural drought has left Lithuania, the rivers remain flooded and the hydrological drought continues, the Hydrometeorological Service announces.
According to the service, this kind of drought takes a long time to form in rivers, so it can occur even after several drier seasons or several years of dry conditions.
"If the current prevailing hydrological situation had arisen only as a result of the prolonged heat in May and June this year, the water level would not have dropped so much, because the water bodies would use the groundwater reserve," the service announces.
Although the water level in larger rivers rises slightly after heavy rain, it only lasts for a day or a few hours.
Warmer, rain-free weather is expected in the near future, so the hydrological conditions should not change.
In the rivers of Western Lithuania, where precipitation has fallen significantly more than elsewhere, water flows have increased due to excess moisture, and some rivers are returning to normal for this time of year, but the situation in most Lithuanian rivers is still bad.
