Danube reaches record low, halting navigation and cutting nuclear output

Danube low water navigation suspension Paks nuclear plant shipgroundings hydropower reduction

A prolonged heat wave and severe drought have driven the Danube to unprecedented low levels. In Budapest the river gauge read 23 cm, well below the previous record low of 33 cm set in 2018. The drop has forced the suspension of commercial traffic on large stretches, leaving around 15 cruise ships and most cargo vessels stranded and, in some cases, grounding them. Police rescued 186 tourists from the Viking Ullur after it ran aground near Vidin. The low water has also exposed historic World‑War‑II shipwrecks in Serbia, Croatia and Hungary and revealed unexploded ordnance.

Hydropower generation in Serbia now runs at roughly one‑third of normal output, and the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary reduced the output of one reactor block by 254 MW to keep the cooling system functional. Hungarian authorities have introduced water‑use restrictions in several districts, and transport operators are adjusting schedules on the Danube’s German and Austrian sections. The situation is expected to worsen as forecasts show no significant rain and temperatures above 38 °C across the basin.

Entities

Branko Savić · Budapest · Bulgaria · Cernavodă Nuclear Plant · Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant · Danube River · Dejan Vladiković · Germany · Hungarian Environment Ministry · Hungarian Ministry of Economy and Energy · Hungarian Water Authority · Hungary

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] The above output is deliberately broken to avoid sharing this content.
[● 2 SOURCES] In Serbia near Bezdán, water level measured –120 cm, approaching a historic minimum of –143 cm recorded in 1909.
[● 5 SOURCES] The Danube flow at the Romanian border dropped to about 1,700 cubic meters per second, the lowest since 1996.
[● 4 SOURCES] Cargo vessel capacity on the Danube has been reduced to about 25‑30 % of normal.
[● 3 SOURCES] Several ferry services near the Romania‑Bulgaria border were suspended and cruise routes from Budapest to the Danube Delta interrupted, with passengers transferred overland to Bucharest.
[● 3 SOURCES] Navigation restrictions were imposed on Danube sections near Budapest, making cargo and passenger ships unable to pass.
[● 3 SOURCES] Danube water level in Budapest forecast ~35 cm, potentially breaking the previous record low of 33 cm set in 2018.
[● 3 SOURCES] No significant rainfall is expected in the Danube basin over the next six days, limiting chances of water level recovery.
[● 3 SOURCES] Authorities have tightened safety measures and limited ship movements around Budapest due to low water levels.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Record‑low water levels have been observed across the Danube basin from Austria to the Balkans, exposing sandbars and limiting navigation.
[● 5 SOURCES] The Danube water level in Budapest was measured at 31 cm on 28 July 2026.
[○ 1 SOURCE] The drought is caused by prolonged rainfall deficit and extreme heat, reducing alpine snow melt that normally feeds the Danube.