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Climate change is impacting rivers worldwide, with a reduction in normal flow conditions in temperate regions like Poland. Such changes have an influence on riparian vegetation, as depicted by this study, which focuses on a 250km-long reach of the Polish Vistula River and investigates variations of monthly maximum discharges and vegetation conditions over the period 1984-2023 by means of Landsat satellite images. These satellite data were handled via Google Earth Engine, looking at a common index such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, considered as a proxy of vegetation coverage variations. Results suggest that a process of riparian vegetation growth and consequent oversimplification is affecting this river reach, particularly over the last couple of decades, during which water availability has decreased significantly. Using the Vistula River as an exemplary case study, this research suggests that prolonged dry periods, more common in recent decades due to climate change, might impact large rivers located in temperate climates, favouring the development of vegetation on exposed sandbars, eventually resulting in a less dynamic active channel.