Central and southern Europe brace for heatwave – Europe live
A severe heatwave is moving across central and southern Europe, forcing energy restrictions and the partial shutdown of a nuclear power plant in Hungary. Temperatures are expected to reach near 40C, impacting infrastructure and hydropower generation across the region.
Why it matters
The extreme weather highlights the vulnerability of European energy grids and water resources to climate change-induced heatwaves.
The latest heatwave seen in western Europe last week are now moving eastwards, with large parts of central and southern Europe set to experience extreme temperatures near 40C, and putting countries at risk of an energy crunch.
A municipal public space supervisor distributes bagged drinking water to pedestrians in a square during a heat wave in Budapest, Hungary. Hungary was forced to shut down most of its sole nuclear power plant, which generates a large part of the country’s energy supply, for the first time in 44 years as the drying out of the Danube made it impossible to cool safely. The nuclear plant is expected to be completely powered down later this week as water levels on the Danube river are projected to fall further.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in