One of the results of the continuous scorching temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius on a daily basis is the alarmingly low water level in Vistula. Measurements in the center of Warsaw show the water levels at just 27 centimeters. This is just one centimeter more than the previous record of 26 centimeters, which was recorded as recently as 2015.

The situation is unlikely to improve in the coming days, as Grzegorz Walijewski, the spokesperson for Poland’s Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) told the state news agency PAP.

“There will be some hope next week, or rather in two weeks, because Vistula’s water levels [in Warsaw] are determined by what goes on in the south of the country, and that will only see precipitation on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday,” he said. “Then, it will take several days for the water to flow downriver.”

Low water levels pose problems to agriculture, wild animals and plant life, as well as energy generation infrastructure. A protracted drought could also result in localized water shortages.

And all that due to record-high temperatures.

This September will be one of the hottest since 1951. According to the Institute of IMGW, the average temperature was 5.7 degrees Celsius higher than the average for all months of September between 1991 and 2020, a period of 30 years.

The previous heat record for September was set only last year but it already seems likely this one will set a new one.