The River Rhine has fallen to record low levels at multiple monitoring stations in Germany and the Netherlands, with measurements last week marking historic lows since record-keeping began. Similar conditions have affected other critical European waterways, including the Danube, which flows through 10 countries, and Italy’s Po river. The EU’s Drought Observatories reported that drought conditions remained stable and critical across most of Europe, with deterioration in central-western Europe in mid-July. Heatwave conditions are expected to persist for at least another week, with temperatures forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius in many central and southern regions.
The low water levels are creating substantial economic and operational challenges. Germany’s Low Water Information System reported that 44% of Rhine monitoring stations and 78% of Danube stations recorded extremely low water levels by the end of July. The Kaub gauging station, a key indicator of navigability on the Rhine, reached the 2018 record low of 25 centimeters before slightly recovering. Officials and industry representatives indicate that while complete suspension of Rhine shipping is unlikely, precautions such as reducing cargo loads and spreading shipments across more vessels will become necessary, potentially increasing transport costs and creating supply disruptions.
The drought is straining Europe’s power infrastructure. Hungary’s only nuclear power plant is operating at reduced capacity with officials monitoring whether it may need to shut down completely. In Serbia and Romania, the Danube’s record low levels for 30 years have disrupted cooling systems at coal-fired and nuclear power plants. Romania conducted a controlled explosion on a Danube riverbank rock formation to increase water flow to its Cernavoda nuclear facility, while car manufacturers Dacia and Ford halted Romanian production for more than two weeks to reduce electricity demand. Italy has raised its drought alert level to “high” across the Po Valley, with concerns about drinking water supply disruptions and saltwater intrusion damaging agricultural irrigation systems.
Scientific research indicates that while Europe has not experienced a clear long-term trend toward reduced rainfall, human-caused climate change is intensifying drought conditions by increasing evaporation through higher temperatures. The World Weather Attribution group noted that elevated temperatures are simultaneously driving greater water demand for household, agricultural, and industrial purposes. Previous drought events have demonstrated additional consequences; the EU’s Copernicus climate service found that the 2022 European drought contributed to increased wildfire activity, which generated higher than average carbon emissions.
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