Michael Probst / APThe Pfalzgrafenstein toll castle sits in the middle of the Rhine River, seen at a very low water level, in Kaub, Germany, on August 10, 2026.Fadel Dawod / GettyA marina is seen surrounded by exposed riverbed as water levels remain low along the Waal River in Nijmegen, Netherlands, on August 8, 2026. The Netherlands is facing an ongoing drought and water shortage as exceptionally low river flows continue across the country. The low water levels are affecting inland shipping—vessels are forced to reduce their loads as navigable depths decrease.Djordje Kojadinovic / ReutersA drone view shows people swimming near a sunken German warship from World War II, exposed due to low water levels in the Danube River, in Prahovo, Serbia, on July 30, 2026.Nenad Mihajlovic / AFP / GettyPeople walk across sandbars exposed by the low water level of the Danube River near Apatin, Serbia, on August 4, 2026.Fabrice Coffrini / AFP / GettyThis aerial photograph shows the parched bed of Brenets Lake (Lac des Brenets), part of the Doubs River, a natural border between eastern France and western Switzerland, on July 28, 2026. The river has dried up due to a combination of factors, including geological fissures that drain water underground, below-average rainfall, and repeated heat waves.Oliver Berg / DPA / GettyAn inland waterway vessel sails past the cathedral on the Rhine in Cologne, Germany, at low water levels, on July 31, 2026.Marton Monus / ReutersA drone view of a cruise ship that became stranded due to the low water level of the Danube River near Gönyű, Hungary, on August 1, 2026.Mike Kemp / In Pictures / GettyA water-level marker sits above the low water on the River Redlake in Bucknell, England, on July 24, 2026.Andrej Isakovic / AFP / GettyThis aerial photo shows boats in a marina left stranded on the riverbed by the low water level of the Danube River in Novi Sad, Serbia, on August 7, 2026.Akos Stiller / Bloomberg / GettyVisitors gather on an exposed section of riverbed on the Danube River during a heat wave in Budapest, Hungary, on August 8, 2026.Remo Casilli / ReutersA drone view shows the Po River running low under Gerola Bridge as drought conditions threaten nearby rice fields, in Mezzana Bigli, Italy, on August 6, 2026Andreea Alexandru / APA man splashes water on a horse to cool it off next to a riverbank of the Danube River, as usually submerged areas are exposed due to extreme low water levels in Roseti, Romania, on July 29, 2026.Christian Bruna / GettyPeople walk along the exposed lake bottom of the severely shrunk Nussensee mountain lake during ongoing drought and hot weather on August 2, 2026, near Bad Ischl, Austria.Dominika Zarzycka / SOPA Images / LightRocket / GettyPeople walk on an unusually wide beach on the south bank of Thames River in central London on August 7, 2026.Robert Nemeti / Anadolu / GettyA cyclist rides along the dry riverbed of the Danube near the Paks Nuclear Power Plant on August 9, 2026. The plant is currently operating with only one of its four reactors at minimum output, an unprecedented situation in its nearly 40-year history, as historically low Danube water levels have constrained the plant’s cooling capacity.Robert Nemeti / Anadolu via Getty / AnadoluA person explores the exposed riverbed of the Danube, after low water levels revealed the remains of an old World War II–era ship from the riverbed in Baja, Hungary, on August 8, 2026.Andrej Isakovic / AFP / GettyThis photo shows a dried-out sunflower field near the village of Kovilj, Serbia, near the Danube River, on August 6, 2026, during a prolonged heat wave.Boris Roessler / DPA / GettyExtremely low water levels on the Rhine expose the riverbed near Bacharach, Germany, behind Stahleck Castle, on August 10, 2026.
