Poland’s largest river falls to its lowest level in more than 70 years

Poland's largest river, the Vistula, fell to its lowest level in more than 70 years at one monitoring station as a drought and heat wave gripped the country, broadcaster TVP World reported Thursday.

The country's Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) said the Vistula River measured 160 centimeters (5.25 feet) at the Annopol monitoring station in southeastern Poland on Tuesday.

The reading broke the previous record low of 162 centimeters (5.31 feet) set more than 70 years ago.

“There are currently 71 hydrological drought warnings in force across Poland, and their number could increase in the coming days,” Pawel Staniszewski, a hydrologist at IMGW, reportedly told the state news agency PAP.

Water levels in the capital, Warsaw, also neared an all-time low, measuring 109 centimeters (3.58 feet), approaching the record minimum of 104 centimeters (3.41 feet) recorded in August 2025.

“It should be remembered that hydrological drought usually reaches its peak at the end of August and the beginning of September. This means water levels may continue to fall over the coming weeks,” Staniszewski warned.

He said reversing the current trend would require not just a few months of heavy rainfall but a prolonged period of above-average precipitation, "probably lasting several seasons."

The low water levels have also disrupted electricity generation, forcing state-controlled utility Enea to temporarily shut down several generating units at two of its coal-fired power plants that rely on water from the Vistula River.