Hungary Experiences Below-Average Rainfall and Low Soil Moisture in Spring 2026

Ninety percent of Hungary's land is already at risk from drought in 2026 after April brought particularly bad weather from an agricultural point of view with hardly any rainfall. In the most affected areas of the Great Plain there is 120 mm of moisture missing from the soil and only 80 mm present. Over the last 90 days rainfall in Hungary has been 20 to 70 mm below average.

The top 20 to 30 cm of soil is critically dry throughout Hungary and the 30 to 60 cm soil layer is in an increasingly worrying condition. Some areas of Hungary have not had any rain for a month. Nearly one year of rainfall over the last five years is missing, according to Attila Szegi, deputy spokesman for the National Water Directorate.

Hungary's rivers, standing waters and groundwater levels are critically low. Last year 550000 hectares in Hungary were affected by drought damage and insurers paid out almost HUF 40 billion in compensation for drought damage in 2025. This year's conditions suggest the impact could be even more severe.

Péter Magyar asked the future Tisza government's minister for the living environment to take charge of an immediate water management plan. László Gajdos called for those who can to avoid cutting grass in May at least because of the drought in April.

To better allocate existing water resources infrastructure needs to be made more flexible and the involvement of the population is key, Attila Szegi stated.

The Tisza Party wants to implement new water conservation programmes with the involvement of the population and local farmers. The water authority has been working with the Sárrét Water Fishermen NGO for more than a year to retain water in the Little Sárrét area along the Romanian border.

Public works deliver water based on the water resources of the Sebes-Körös and Berettyó rivers in the Little Sárrét area.

NGOs provide assistance in canals with filling, water management and discharging water into the landscape in coordination with water authority colleagues. The water shortage is most evident on Lake Venice where there are stretches of shore where you can walk up to 15 to 20 metres from the shoreline.

Lake Venice would be supplied by the Pátka and Zámolyi reservoirs if they had water but these reservoirs are practically dry.

The only natural source of water for Lake Venice is the stream called the Emperor's Water. The water level in Lake Venice started the season at 81 centimetres and is now 66 centimetres.

Árpád Pál Eötvös, the mayor of Gárdony, told Euronews that the water shortage has long been an issue among local town leaders in the Lake Venice area. "Since the city has been built on tourism for 50 to 60 years it needs Lake Venice and the water in the lake which is now visibly becoming scarce," he said.

Transferring water from the Danube would only be a temporary solution for Lake Venice; in the long term only a new pipeline system would address the situation, Árpád Pál Eötvös stated. He initiated several programmes to save Lake Venice's water resources but not all lake mayors have been cooperative. Independent mayors signed a letter written by Árpád Pál Eötvös but Fidesz mayors did not.

The local will to tackle the water shortage in Lake Venice has long been undermined by outgoing government's State Secretary for Water Management V. Zsolt Németh, according to Árpád Pál Eötvös. After Tisza's election victory the region's mayors are looking forward to Dr Viktória Bögi representing the constituency as she has made protecting the lake a top priority in her campaign.