Record heat and severe drought disrupt European energy and transport networks

Record-breaking summer temperatures across Western and Central Europe have intensified severe drought conditions, depleting major waterways and straining regional infrastructure. Ocean surface temperatures reached a global peak of 20.96°C in July, while continental heat waves have elevated wildfire risks and driven surface temperatures 1.47°C above pre-industrial baselines.

Critically low water levels along key transport corridors, including the Danube, have hampered river freight and forced nuclear power stations in Romania and Hungary to curtail or halt operations due to cooling shortages. In Romania, naval teams conducted controlled riverbed detonations to divert water toward active reactors. The receding waters have also uncovered submerged wartime relics and prehistoric fossils. Financial estimates suggest energy constraints and shipping bottlenecks could cost Central European economies up to two billion euros in the third quarter.

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