The dataset consists of a collection of annual soil moisture (SM) anomalies during the vegetation growing season (GS) for the years 2000-2019 across EEA 38 area and the United Kingdom. The vegetation growing season is defined by EEA´s phenology data series "Vegetation growing season length 2000-2016", available in the EEA website and in this catalogue. The anomalies are calculated based on the European Commission's Joint Research Centre European Drought Observatory (EDO) Soil Moisture Index (SMI) with respect to the 1995–2019 base period. The yearly start and end of GS periods are dynamic and calculated according to the EEA Phenology Indicators. A positive anomaly indicates that the observed SM was wetter than the long-term SM average for the base period, while a negative anomaly indicates that the observed SM was drier than the reference value. Because SM anomalies are measured in units of standard deviation from the long-term SMI average, they can be used to compare annual deficits/surplus of SM between geographic regions. EDO is one of the early warning and monitoring systems of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. As the dataset builds on EDO's SMI, it therefore contains modified Copernicus Emergency Management Service information (2019).

The raster dataset (grid 0.25° x 0.25°) presents the trends in frequency of meteorological droughts between 1950 and 2012. Trends are based on a combination of three different drought indices - SPI (Standard Precipitation Index), SPEI (Standardized Preciptation Evapotranspiration Index) and RDI (Reconnaisance Drought Index) accumulated over 12-month periods. The dataset contributes to an earlier version of the EEA indicator "Meteorological and hydrological droughts": https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/river-flow-drought-2/assessment