Poland's Vistula river drops to historic low in Warsaw: official

The Vistula, Poland's longest river, fell on Monday to match its record low in Warsaw, the national meteorological institute IMGW reported, with Europe sweltering through multiple heatwaves.

"We are currently recording a water level of 102 centimetres (40 inches)," matching a record set only on Friday, IMGW hydrologist Dariusz Witkowski told AFP.

Nationwide, the hydrological situation in Poland is "the most difficult since 2015", he said, adding that "low water levels are being observed in 66 percent of our rivers and at our hydrological stations".

The situation could worsen in late August and early September, when forecasts "indicate that the coming days and weeks will likely see above-normal temperatures and, unfortunately, below-normal precipitation, which could exacerbate the drought", he said.

When asked by public radio station Jedynka about the risk of power outages due to the Vistula's low water level, Polish Energy Minister Milosz Motyka said on Monday that he did not foresee "any interruption... or any limitation on the supply" of electricity.