Extreme heat has broken temperature records in Slovakia, Austria and Hungary as drought and wildfire conditions continue across central and eastern Europe. Slovakia recorded a new high of 42C (108F) in Dolné Plachtince on Thursday, according to its hydrometeorological agency.
The heat is also disrupting essential infrastructure. Critically low water levels in Poland’s Vistula River forced the shutdown of the Kozienice and Połaniec coal-fired power plants, removing about 1.3GW of capacity from the country’s power system.
At a glance:
- Slovakia recorded 42C in Dolné Plachtince.
- Austria reached 41.2C, a national record, on Wednesday.
- About 500,000 hectares have burned across the EU since the start of the year, mostly in Spain and France.
- A further 292,000 hectares have burned in Ukraine.
| Previous record | This season | |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Previous record for this time of year | More than twice as severe |
| Czechia | Previous record for this time of year | More than 50% worse |
| Slovakia | Previous record for this time of year | 32% worse |
Low river levels hit Poland’s power supply
Authorities shut the Kozienice and Połaniec coal-fired plants after low water levels in the Vistula limited supplies of cooling water. The shutdown removed about 1.3GW of generating capacity.
Related coverage: Climate crisis intensifies Europe’s extreme drought by drying soils and water sources.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk had urged employers on Wednesday to look after staff and provide air conditioning and cold water. In Hungary, prime minister Péter Magyar said on Thursday that a nuclear power station temporarily powered down would return to service; he said one turbine at the Paks plant was operating and called for voluntary reductions in electricity consumption on the hot day.
Heat, fires and health impacts intensify
The hot, dry conditions have reduced moisture in vegetation and increased the danger posed by wildfires. European Forest Fire Information System data published on Thursday showed about half a million hectares had burned across the EU since the start of the year, mostly in Spain and France; another 292,000 hectares had burned in Ukraine.
In Germany, new estimates from the Robert Koch Institute put heat deaths this summer at about 11,900. Climate activists demonstrated outside the chancellery, while Fridays for Future Berlin said the government needed stronger action to protect people from extreme heat.
More context: Heatwave in Europe leads to €2bn in crop damage and threatens food prices.
Record fire weather across the region
Austria recorded 41.2C on Wednesday, while fire weather—the hot, dry and windy conditions that make fires harder to fight—was more than twice as severe as the previous record for this point in the year. Czechia’s fire weather was more than 50% worse than its previous record, and Slovakia’s was 32% worse.
A rapid analysis by the World Weather Attribution consortium found that global heating made last month’s hot, dry and windy weather at least 20 times more likely in Spain and twice as likely in France. Polish environmental organisation EKO-UNIA said the pressure on power plants and rivers showed the need to expand wind and solar generation, which require the least water to produce electricity.
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