France’s groundwater levels are at a generally satisfactory level going into autumn, after water-saving measures throughout the summer offset drought conditions.
The monthly study by the Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières (BRGM) states that on September 30, 31% of observation points were below monthly norms, 23% were comparable to average, and 46% were above.
Respectively, these figures were 38%, 29%, and 33% at the end of August 2025.
Geographically, only the areas around the Pyrénées-Orientales department remain critically low, as has been the case for several years.
Conversely however, high groundwater levels are found in basins around Paris and much of Normandy, the centre-east, and parts of the Rhône and Loire valleys, meaning there is little cause for national concern of a possible winter drought.
Figures are much lower than last year, when 73% were above average.
However, this figure was buoyed by exceptional rainfall between autumn 2023 and spring 2024, which carried over into the autumn and summer.
Early concerns for summer 2026?
Provided rainfall across the autumn and winter period reaches average levels, no winter drought alerts are likely outside of the south-eastern Pyrénées.
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However, a lack of rainfall could see more severe drought warnings come into force from earlier in the 2026 calendar year.
This year, France benefitted from almost all basins being at above average levels at the end of 2024 (you can see a comparison between levels in 2024 and 2025 in the BRGM report).
This meant any reduction to usual spring rainfall and the summer heatwaves did not drain groundwater reservoirs completely, as they benefitted from these additional reserves.
If rainfall stays at average levels over the coming months, groundwater levels will largely remain among the average at the start of the summer 2026 period, with areas either being slightly above or below norms.
In turn, extreme temperatures or sustained lack of rainfall in the warmer months could seriously drain reservoirs, particularly in those areas currently with lower levels.
This year, authorities took a cautious approach, implementing drought restrictions and regulations early to prevent any shortage, and the policy largely seems to have worked.
