The reading, taken at the Warszawa-Bulwary gauge station, broke a record set only a week earlier, when the river measured 98 centimeters. Jan Szymankiewicz, a hydrologist at the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, said the milestone was unprecedented for the site.
"This can be called a historic measurement, since we began collecting this data in a standardized way, that is, since the 1950s", he said.
The drought's reach extends beyond the capital. Readings were also unusually low at Warszawa-Nadwilanówka, where the river measured 15 centimeters, and in Modlin, downstream, where it stood at 183 centimeters.
Adding to the picture, but unrelated to the drought itself, is a technical change made in November 2025 to how the Warszawa-Bulwary and Gusin stations calculate their readings. Both gauges adjusted their "zero elevation" — the reference point, tied to sea level, from which water depth is measured. Officials stressed the shift did not alter the river's actual water level, only how it is calculated.
Normally, a gauge's zero point is set below the riverbed's lowest point, ensuring readings stay positive even during extreme drought and consistently exceed the river's true depth. Erosion, however, can wear down the riverbed until it sinks below that zero point — a shift that has occurred at Warszawa-Bulwary, and one that can make official readings appear far lower than the water actually is at that location.
Despite the shallow conditions along its banks, the Vistula's main channel still holds deep, swift-moving water, hydrologists and emergency officials cautioned, warning that wading or attempting to cross the riverbed on foot remains extremely dangerous.
The low levels come as hydrological drought warnings remain in place across southern Poland and its easternmost and westernmost regions. Such droughts occur when surface and groundwater replenishment slows, leading to diminished river flow and falling lake levels.
(jh)
Source: Polish Radio