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Rhine water levels 2016 and similar topics


notamermaid
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Hello everyone,

 

a belated Happy New Year to you.

 

What a year 2015 it has been on "my" river!

 

The year 2016 has started calmly here and winter is just "prodding along" without major problems or upsets, albeit a little too warm and snow a little late in the season.

 

Due to an illness my 2016 has started a little more eventful and I will be slow to answer any questions or join in conversations for a little while. Not dramatic, but rather unpleasant.

 

Thank you everyone for joining in conversations in the 2015 thread, and all those words of thanks. It has been great to take you along through the year. And as the thread proved so popular I have decided to start one for this year. :) Just could not resist. :D

 

So here it is.

 

Safe travels to everyone and hope you all have a great time on the Rhine for those who will be travelling on this river this year. To everyone else, do come and see the river sometime. :):)

 

notamermaid

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I hope your health improves quickly & completely. I had a similar year in 2015 & am celebrating my recovery with a trip from Basel to Amsterdam this May. We were 'tossed off' the Danube in May of 2013 with record breaking flooding. . . hoping for a smooth sail this year.

 

 

DocDave

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We are looking forward to Uniworld's "Prague and Rhine Discovery" in mid-June. We'll cruise from Nuremburg to Basel and are hoping for perfect conditions. Our previous voyage was on the beautiful Catherine from Avignon to Lyon. Due to flooding, the trip did not go as planned, but was nevertheless a wonderful experience. In your opinion, should be be very confident that our June 2016 adventure will be trouble-free?

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Notamermaid, Gute Besserung! You have been so helpful to all of us on this board. We will be going again with friends on the Mainz in mid December, should be fine unlike the three ship change we had last November.

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I hope your health improves quickly & completely. I had a similar year in 2015 & am celebrating my recovery with a trip from Basel to Amsterdam this May. We were 'tossed off' the Danube in May of 2013 with record breaking flooding. . . hoping for a smooth sail this year.

 

 

DocDave

 

This will be our second cruise on the Rhine, this time from Basel to Amsterdam in April and so looking forward to it. We think it is probably the most beautiful river cruise that is offered (but of course, that's just OUR opinion ;))

Cole

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I've been browsing webcams in Switzerland and the Black Forest ski resorts. This is the first time I've looked so I don't have a great basis for comparison but the snow looks pretty thin. That might not bode well for the late summer sailings.

 

I'm in the midst of planning a Rhine cruise in October 2017. I will be interested to see how the river tolerates a light snow winter while hoping for more snow next winter.

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I have never done a river cruise and we are thinking about doing the Rhine in June. I saw mention of flooding and low river levels. Can anyone give me an heads up on that and anything else? Recommendation etc? Thanks!:)

 

Welcome to the River Cruising forum!

 

In answer to your specific question, the Rhine has not had the level of problems that bedeviled the Danube over the last few years.

 

Before you book any river cruise, I suggest you start by reading the sticky New to RIVER CRUISING??? at the top of this forum, especially the downloadable pdf:

http://pdf.cruisecritic.com/travel-guide/UltimateGuidetoRiverCruising.pdf?et_cid=1262487&et_rid=99616845

which discusses each cruise line and compares them to ocean cruise lines and hotels [this will give you a frame of reference]. The range among river cruise lines that market in the US is fairly small -- but there are differences from the bottom to the top, and the prices don't vary as much as it first appears because the more expensive lines include more things that cost extra on the "cheaper" lines. For information on choosing a river, read the sticky River Cruise Basics articles on Cruise Critic at the top of this forum. I also recommend the book Berlitz guide to River Cruising in Europe by Douglas Ward, which may be found at your public library.

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Hello canesfriend,

 

I highly recommend hostjazzbeau's link. :)

 

Just to add: June is in general a nice month to travel because of overall good weather and the river level. In June flooding is unlikely and draught is unlikely.

 

Experience and statistics say so, but the last few years have been extreme. You just need to go with the flow and be prepared.

 

Have a look at the threads concerning the flooding on the Danube in 2014 and the draught on the Rhine and the Danube in 2015, if you feel like it. That can be helpful in making an informed choice for or against a river cruise line.

 

One tiny note: if you are a keen shopper check the dates of the (church) holidays in June when shops are closed by law in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

 

Here it is Karneval season with lots of dressing-up, (too much :() drinking and general merriness boardering on benign madness :).

 

notamermaid

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Here it is Karneval season with lots of dressing-up, (too much :() drinking and general merriness boardering on benign madness :).

 

notamermaid

 

Jazzbelle and I are "snow birds" in Lower Alabama, and last night we went to our first Mardi Gras parade of the season in the lovely town of Fairhope. Beautiful floats, marching bands, a family atmosphere and friendly crowds -- but the best part is that the people on the floats are required (by the parade organization) to throw huge quantities of beads, Moon Pies, toys, etc. They are so generous that instead of the dog-eat-dog atmosphere of New Orleans (and even Mobile AL where Mardi Gras originated in the US), people happily share their "loot" with others. Mardi Gras here is a wonderful family season. Here's a link with some more info:

http://www.fairhopemardigras.com

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Thanks notamermaid for sharing information about your river with us. My first river cruise will be Ams-Bud May 28 so will be following along with the 2016 experiences as I did in 2015. Please get well soon and have a pleasant winter.

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Thank you tamsno,

 

my health is slowly improving.

 

The Rhine has risen, getting close to official high water levels. Prediction is for falling levels over the next few days. Moselle river traffic has been halted as that river has reached the official high water mark. Traffic is likely to resume on Sunday, though.

 

That level is an annual occurence everybody living along the rivers expects to happen.

 

Weather is a dreary grey with rain, the storm has subsided. The sun is coming out again a little bit. Temperatures around 2 to 8 degrees.

 

notamermaid

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Glad you are on the mend, notamermaid. Wishing the best for a continued speedy recovery!

 

We will only have a day or two in Germany this year, which is sad. We are taking a Danube River cruise in April, which ends in Passau. After the cruise ends, we'll visit Salzburg and perhaps Berchtesgaden. We plan to spend the last night in Munich. No beautiful drives along the Rhine and Mosel this year... :( But plenty of other nice places to see!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello jpalbny,

 

Thank you for the best wishes. Getting better, but I am somewhat eagerly awaiting higher temperatures. They will certainly lift my spirits.

 

 

Only a little more than four weeks to go till the first cruises of the season start. The start of the season falls on the Easter weekend.

 

If you are on a cruise at Easter bear in mind that shopping is very restricted on public and church holidays in Western Europe and churches like Cologne cathedral are partially closed for the benefit of worshippers.

 

Weather is grey, rainy and a little on the cold side. Snow has come back to the hills and some valleys, at least at night. Forecast for the next days: grey, rainy, snowy and mild frost at night.

 

Water levels are rising again, but a bit of room still for rain and melting snow. No official flooding yet.

 

notamermaid

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Hello durhamgirl,

 

the river level in Germany is above the mean (10-year-statistic) which is normal for February. In fact, the level is falling and severe flooding is not to be expected this Spring. However, rain is forecast and it will remain cool so the water level will fluctuate over the next two weeks. 18th March is too far in the future for a prediction, but things are looking good.

 

By the way, I assumed the first cruises start on the 23 or 24 March on the Rhine. You are cruising early. Expect the 18th to be chilly possibly, certainly at night.

 

Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello notamermaid, and best wishes for continued good recovery.

 

I am so glad to have found this thread (while searching for something else!)😄

 

We will be on the Rhine from April 24 through May 1. So still more than 5 weeks out. Can you tell me a little about what the weather and river levels usually are at that time of year? We will be coming from a few days in Switzerland, so are expecting colder weather there, but hoping it normally warms up a bit by late April along the Rhine.

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Hello wandb,

 

Thank you for your wishes. Doing my best to get better to be able to enjoy a day cruise in Spring.

 

Weather here is still cold at night, but sunshine during the day gets the temperatures to a more pleasant 8 to 10 degrees with little or no rain.

 

End of April to beginning of May is a time of great variety in weather so difficult to say what it will be like. Quite often very pleasant, both temperatures and rainfall have "a wide range" at that time of year around here. Expect mild frost in the hills at night, especially close to and in Switzerland. Daytime can have little to lots of sunshine.

 

Here is the website I sometimes use: http://www.wetteronline.de/wetter/ruedesheim-am-rhein

 

I have put in the weather for the town of Rüdesheim sort of midway between Basel and Amsterdam. With a bit of guess-work you can easily find your way around the site. On the right-hand side of the page you find the 14-day weather forecast, i.e. predictions for the next two weeks. The symbols are of course self-explanatory.

 

As regards the water levels: we have not had river closure on the Rhine to speak of this season which is unusual. It has been mild. Unless there is very heavy rain over the next few weeks I do not expect real flooding when the snow melts. Looking good at the moment for the first sailings of the season.

 

notamermaid

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Hello cruiser02,

 

just enjoy :):)!

 

But there might be something special on. If you have the time and like that sort of thing check out the fortress illumination at night or just wander around Ehrenbreitstein towering over Koblenz. Stunning views and beats a town guided tour in my opinion, although that is also very interesting.

 

The cable main season starts on 19 March 2016, they just have not updated the English website: http://www.seilbahn-koblenz.de/home-page.html

 

If you happen to approach Koblenz in daylight you can see the Remagen bridge towers, but also the rebuilt bridge at Urmitz / Engers. It is not known well, but is a sister to the Remagen bridge and was the scene of dramatic and gruesome events at the end of WWII.

 

You first sail under a modern suspension bridge at Neuwied / Weissenthurm and about 20 minutes later see the Urmitz bridge.

 

You will hit Good Friday, I think, in Basel. That is a public holiday here, but I do not know if it is observed by the Swiss.

 

notamermaid

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The Rhine water level is falling as it is not raining significantly. This leaves lots of room for the coming snow melt. However, first, after initial tempratures of up to 15 degrees in the warmest part of the Rhine region, temperatures are forecast to drop next week. There will likely be more rain and snowfall will return to the hills, in part even down into the cooler valleys.

 

It looks as if parts of the Rhine valley will have a cool and grey, possibly even rainy, Easter weekend. Not good for those Easter egg hunts.

 

Ships up and down the Rhine have left their winter harbours and are sailing North to Amsterdam or South to Basel (mainly) to reach their ports for passengers to embark on the first sailing of the season.

 

Viking has christened its six new ships and further christenings will take place in March and April, as well as later in the season.

 

And I am happy to read that the MS Alemannia (ex-Viking) has returned to do trips during tulip season in the Netherlands and along the Rhine later on.

 

notamermaid

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On this grey and cool day in the Rhine valley, that does neither look nor feel like the beginning of Spring I would like to tell you the tale of the lost steam engine. It is not actually a work of fiction but a true story.

 

In 1852 a newly-built steam engine left the works in Karlsruhe and was loaded onto a Rhine barge to be taken downstream to a railway line near Düsseldorf in what is now Northrhine-Westfalia. Near Germersheim the barge got into a storm and the steam engine tumbled into the river. The name of the engine: Der Rhein!

 

With the help of iron chains and divers brought in from Great Britain many men tried to raise the engine. An enormous task in 1852. The engine was six metres long and weighed 20 tonnes. In the end they had to give up and the engine was lost for more than 150 years. Due to the natural and man-made changes to the Rhine topography in that area it was difficult to locate the engine when people started getting interested again in raising the engine from the river bed. In fact, it was thought for some years that the engine was now buried inland, i.e. in an embankment. In the 1980's an engine driver started looking for the engine in earnest and over the next decade more "hunters" joined the quest. Steam enthusiasts from Darmstadt-Kranichstein, where there is a railway museum, have raised funds and enlisted the help of companies and instituations to locate the engine and they are now quite certain they have found the engine in the river bed. The metal object detected buried under the river bed that resembles the engine in size has just been examined with the help of ground penetrating radar. If this further confirms that this is very likely to be the object of desire efforts will resume to raise it.

 

Why all the fuzz? The steam engine, if recovered, will be the oldest in Germany in existence. No other steam locomotives of the early steam railway era remain as originals. "Der Rhein" will belong to the state of Rhineland-Palatine by law. But the museum at Darmstadt-Kranichstein will be allowed to exhibit it.

 

I do not know how close the site is to the navigation channel but if you happen to see on your river cruise some strangly-dressed people in a boat that do not look like fishermen it might be the hunters of the lost steam engine!

 

notamermaid

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