Record heat and drought strain European energy grids, shipping, and safety

Record-breaking temperatures and severe drought across Europe continue to disrupt energy, transport, and regional safety following Western Europe's warmest June and July on record. Global ocean surface temperatures reached a peak of 20.96 degrees Celsius in July, exacerbating dry conditions across the continent.

In western Germany, emergency crews evacuated more than 2,000 residents from Hürtgenwald in North Rhine-Westphalia as wildfires encroached within 200 metres of residential zones. Simultaneously, critically low river levels across Central and Eastern Europe have disrupted inland freight corridors and forced nuclear facilities in Romania and Hungary to curb or halt generation over cooling constraints. Romanian military forces deployed controlled underwater explosives along the Danube to channel water toward remaining active units. Analysts project river-related logistical and energy disruptions could inflict up to two billion euros in third-quarter economic damages.

Sources: Diário de Notícias (DN), Expresso, Expresso das Ilhas, Jornal Económico, RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)