Lake Balaton in serious trouble, summer catastrophe ahead? This has not happened since 1921

Last year, a whopping 23% less rainfall than the long-term average poured onto the Lake Balaton catchment area – that’s according to the preliminary assessment of the lake’s water balance.

Water level down at Lake Balaton

The National Directorate General for Water Management revealed in a document on its website that Lake Balaton’s average water level – calculated from data at Balatonakali and Tihanyrév gauging stations – stood at 89 centimetres in 2025. Throughout the year, the lowest average of 64 centimetres occurred between 21 and 25 October, while the highest at 112 centimetres was recorded from 20 April to 9 May, the Hungarian News Agency wrote.

The lake’s average water level stayed below the regulation line without interruption all year; no water was released for level control purposes, but around 731,000 cubic metres were discharged to refresh the Sió river’s urban section and for routine bed condition checks. Projected onto the lake’s surface, this equated to a 1.2-millimetre drop – a negligible amount in water budget terms.

Across the Lake Balaton catchment area last year, rainfall averaged 516 millimetres – 151 millimetres or 23% below the 1991-2020 norm. Evaporation from the lake stripped away 220 millimetres more precipitation than flowed in.

This has not happened for more than a hundred years

The annual natural water stock change was the second-lowest since 1921. Over the last 25 years, this figure has been negative ten times, spotlighting a major decline in water reserves, the analysis notes.

It also highlighted that in the first decade of January 2026, significant snow built up across the lake’s catchment for the first time since 2017, reaching 15-25 centimetres deep. This sets the stage for stronger spring runoff than in recent years, easing the water balance deficit. Lake Balaton is completely frozen, so it has become a paradise for skaters. On Monday, a geomagnetic storm bathed the “Hungarian Sea” in unearthly glow.

On 12 January this year, the lake’s average water level hit 77 centimetres; persistent cold formed a continuous ice cover across the surface, up to 10-15 centimetres thick.