From burning hillsides in Albania to strained power grids in Hungary, southern and eastern Europe are grappling with the punishing effects of the latest heatwave and drought.
Europe, the world’s fastest warming continent, has been ravaged by record-breaking heat and destructive wildfires this summer, with France and Spain particularly hard hit.
Slovakia set a new national temperature record today, reaching 41.4C, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) said in a statement. Austria also notched another all-time high for the second consecutive day, with the national weather agency reporting 41.2C in the east of the country.
As the centre of the heatwave pushes eastward, Italy has placed most of its major cities under a red heat alert, with temperatures rising to around 40C in some places.
The extreme conditions also altered the Vatican’s plans, prompting officials to move Pope Leo’s first weekly general audience after the July break indoors rather than stage it in St Peter’s Square.
People attend Pope Leo XIV weekly general audience at St Peter’s Basilica
In Rome, visitors welcomed the switch as they looked for a break from the oppressive heat.
“I suppose it’s better to hold it indoors because of the heat,” said Diego Amaya, a tourist from Mexico.
Low levels on the Danube and the Rhine
In Hungary, the drought has begun to bite into daily life and the economy, with companies and households cutting electricity use this week after a government appeal aimed at easing pressure on the grid.
Budapest is expected to face the worst of the heatwave over the next two days, with temperatures climbing close to 40C this afternoon.
Record-low water levels on the Danube have forced Hungary to largely shut down its sole nuclear plant, which relies on river water for cooling — a move that has triggered an energy crisis and pushed the country’s power supply capacity to its limits.
Exposed ships on the Rhine due to low water levels
Slovenia’s only nuclear power plant, Krsko — which also supplies neighbouring Croatia — said today it would start cutting reactor output overnight because of exceptionally high temperatures and reduced flows on the Sava River, which feeds into the Danube.
The plant said it will initially reduce generation to 80% of capacity.
Further west, Germany’s Rhine has fallen to fresh lows, prompting some cargo services to halt operations and forcing others to sail with sharply reduced loads.
The Rhine is a key artery for goods including grains, ores and petrol.
Wildfires burn in Albania
In Albania’s southern Mallakaster region, wildfires drove the evacuation of about 15 families along with their livestock and pets, as ground and aerial teams worked to stop flames from reaching homes near a village.
Firefighters also continued efforts to contain another blaze, likely sparked by lightning, in rocky, mountainous terrain south of the Albanian city of Gjirokaster.
Across the border in Greece, a wildfire possibly triggered by vibrating electricity conductors and whipped by gale-force winds has scorched thousands of hectares of farmland near a popular holiday destination northwest of Athens.
A burnt car after a wildfire in Porto Germeno in Greece
While the fire appeared largely contained today, hundreds of firefighters stayed on scene to prevent flare-ups, as six helicopters dropped water on scattered smouldering areas.
The hot, dry summer is also raising fresh alarm for agriculture.
Britain’s cereal harvest is shaping up to be the weakest since comparable records began in 1984, according to an analysis published on Wednesday, with crops wilting after one of the driest and hottest spring-summer periods on record.
Austria hits all-time temperature high for second day running
Austria recorded 41.2C in the east of the country, the national weather agency said.
GeoSphere Austria said the reading in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg surpassed the previous national record of 41C set on Tuesday in the capital, Vienna.
The surge comes amid an exceptional stretch of high temperatures and scant rainfall that has already rewritten several local records.
Austria experienced its fourth-warmest July on record, and the precipitation deficit at some measuring stations reached 90%, according to the weather agency.
On Wednesday evening, Christina, a 20-year-old ice-cream seller in Vienna, told AFP that customer numbers had been unusually low earlier in the day as the heat peaked.
“Later, when the sun goes down, we have lots of clients, thankfully,” she said, adding that “the fan is saving us, it’s our life-saver”.
Experts say climate change has intensified the drought across Europe this summer, with extreme heat helping to drive the exceptionally dry conditions.
