New Delhi, May 30 -- 2025's rainy spring has brought a swift end to the droughts plaguing several Spanish regions, restoring ecosystems to parched fields, reviving withered trees and shrubs and bringing back a lush, green landscape not seen for a long time. It has also placed the country's reservoir levels much higher the averages of the last decade.

At the same time, drought has spread across central and northern European countries that are not used to water shortages. But why have the continent's rainfall patterns have been reversed?

Map of soil moisture in Europe at the end of March 2025: darker brown indicates drier than normal soil, while darker blue indicates wetter than normal. Map of soil moisture in Europe at the end of March...