Hungary’s Velence Lake Faces a New Low as Climate Stress Deepens

Lake Velence, Hungary’s third-largest lake and a popular resort area about 40 kilometers west of Budapest, is expected to hit a new low this summer as climate change and decades of poor water management drain it further. The shrinking lake threatens both the local ecosystem and tourism, especially because it is also an important habitat for many water birds.

According to Hungary’s National Water Authority, water levels recently measured 56 centimeters in Agárd, a small resort town on the lake’s southern shore. That is just 3 centimeters above the record low of 53 centimeters set in 2022, the last year Hungary suffered severe drought. At the start of 2026, the lake stood at about 80 centimeters.

Experts warned that without substantial rain, the lake could lose half a centimeter a day and fall to 30 centimeters by the end of summer. Tibor Horanyi of the Association of Large Lakes said, “The water level will drop by at least 25-30 centimeters in the next 30-40 days, and the historical low will be broken within days.” He said the problem is not only climate change, but also decades of mismanaged water policy, including draining wetlands for agriculture.

The decline is already hurting local businesses. Boat instructor Peter Saniszlo has moved his work to Lake Balaton, Central Europe’s largest freshwater lake, because students who once chose Velence for its proximity to Budapest now have to travel farther. Last week, Environment Minister Laszlo Gaidos met local NGOs, mayors and water experts to discuss the lake’s future, and said on Facebook that the government wants to restore it and improve its water. But Gárdony mayor Arpad Pal Etővös said recovery will take time and told Reuters, “We will have to learn to live with it. As the climate changes, we will also have to change.”