FILE: Slovakia - August 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Danube River, tourists

FILE: Novi Sad, Serbia - August 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Aerial shots of Danube River, sandbar
3. Fishing boats on riverbank

FILE: Paks, Hungary - August 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of people in water of Danube River
5. Various of dried riverbed, people

FILE: Budapest, Hungary - July 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of ships docked, sailing in river; traffic

The Danube River, one of Europe's largest rivers, hit a record low in Bratislava's Devin borough Monday with its average daily flow falling to 575.9 cubic meters per second, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) said on Tuesday.

According to SHMU spokesperson Ivan Garcar, the figure has marked the lowest average daily flow recorded since measurements began in November 1900, surpassing the previous record set in January 1909. The previous record low stood at 580 cubic meters per second, meaning Monday's average flow was 4.1 cubic meters per second lower.

Three weeks earlier, SHMU reported that this summer was the third-warmest on record in Slovakia since 1931, with severe to extreme drought affecting about 90 percent of the country.

"The Danube has reached a new all-time low at Devin in over 125 years of record-keeping. The record dating back to 1909 is now a thing of the past after 117 years," stated Garcar.

Weather data showed that Earth had the hottest August on record, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in early September, noting that the effects were felt around the planet. Large parts of central and eastern Europe saw widespread dryness in August, in some cases persisting since May. Water flow levels were exceptionally low in major European rivers, including the Rhine, Danube, Southern Bug and Dnieper.