Europe faces severe megadrought in 2026, warns climate historian Christian Pfister

Climate historian Christian Pfister, who co‑authored a 2014 study on the 1540 European megadrought, says the current summer is replicating that historic event. He reports that Central Europe is experiencing a full‑year drought with record‑low river levels, water‑use restrictions in cities such as Munich, and a shutdown of Hungary’s only nuclear plant because of insufficient cooling water.

The drought is already damaging agriculture – fields of potatoes and maize are failing – and is expected to push food prices higher. Wildfires have erupted in Spain, France and Greece, while the Rhine’s water level is so low that ships can barely load. Pfister warns that a prolonged dry spell, unlike a heat wave, receives little media attention despite its severe economic and societal impacts.