Extreme heat and lack of rainfall in Slovakia have caused the Danube River to drop to its lowest flow rate ever recorded. The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute reported that the river’s daily flow through the capital, Bratislava, recently plunged to just 575.9 cubic meters per second. According to spokesperson Ivan Garcar, this marks the lowest average daily flow rate since official measurements began in November 1900. This historic decline follows the country’s third-hottest summer since 1931, leaving nearly 90 percent of Slovakia currently facing what officials describe as “severe” and “extreme drought.”