Baking temperatures and drought have driven water levels on the Danube and Rhine rivers to record lows in some areas of central and eastern Europe. These extreme conditions are severely affecting shipping, energy production, and tourism.
Hungary and Romania have had to shut down atomic reactors that are normally cooled by the Danube. Hungary's Paks plant, which provides nearly half of the country's electricity, has been cutting output since Monday and is expected to be completely powered down next week. Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated the plant is operating at less than 50% capacity, with the shutdown potentially lasting weeks due to low Danube water levels. Romania's Cernavodǎ power plant has also shut down one reactor unit for safety reasons, with a second expected to follow.
The low water levels have also exposed items on the riverbed, including old shipwrecks, a Second World War bomb near Budapest's Margaret Bridge, and the remains of an ancient woolly mammoth in northern Bulgaria. Cargo ship operations on the Danube have nearly halted in Hungary, and cruise ships in Budapest are docked upriver. On the Rhine, vessels are operating at about 20% of their normal cargo capacity, creating potential bottlenecks for companies.