Hungary records most severe drought since 1901

Hungary experienced its driest summer since 1901 during the summer of 2026, according to an analysis by HungaroMet Zrt. The season saw an average of only 74.1 mm of precipitation, which is just 36 percent of the 1991–2020 average.

The summer was also the second hottest since 1901, with an average temperature of 23.43 degrees Celsius, exceeding the long-term average by 2.59 degrees. This extreme weather followed a period of meteorological and water balance anomalies that began in the second half of 2025.

Across Europe, heatwaves and lack of rainfall in July and August led to record low water levels in major rivers, including the Danube, the Rhine, and the Vistula.