Water level trend of Danube River

[PoohQ]

Hi,

 

I know that it is impossible to predict whether the Danube will be running too high or too low for river cruise ships to navigate on it.  But does anyone know if mid- to the end of July is typically a time where the ships are stuck due to low or high water?  I am considering a river cruise on the Danube on July 21st of this year, but I would hate to pay all that money, just to end up spending part or all of my cruise being bused from one city to the next.  So I'm wondering if I should try to choose some other time of year.  I have been unable to find a site that shows typical water trends.

 

Have any of you been on a river cruise on the Danube at that time of year?  And was it a successful one (i.e. the ship was able to navigate the whole way on the river)?

 

Thank you for your help!

[steverhodes]

2 hours ago, PoohQ said:

Hi,

 

I know that it is impossible to predict whether the Danube will be running too high or too low for river cruise ships to navigate on it.  But does anyone know if mid- to the end of July is typically a time where the ships are stuck due to low or high water?  I am considering a river cruise on the Danube on July 21st of this year, but I would hate to pay all that money, just to end up spending part or all of my cruise being bused from one city to the next.  So I'm wondering if I should try to choose some other time of year.  I have been unable to find a site that shows typical water trends.

 

Have any of you been on a river cruise on the Danube at that time of year?  And was it a successful one (i.e. the ship was able to navigate the whole way on the river)?

 

Thank you for your help!

Last year July 7-14 and December 5-12 we were on the Danube with Viking and had NO changes or problems due to water. Two perfect flawless cruises. 

[G.M.T.]

No one can say. It used to be you could trust historical data / trends to give you a very good idea.

 

But these days with climate change this has gone out of the window.

 

German weather service are predicting another drought this year, but they can't get the weather forecast for the next 3 days corrrectly.

 

There is a general Danube thread, that is where the most informative and benefical information can be found.

[notamermaid]

PoohQ,

 

Unfortunately I have to agree with G.M.T. that the river levels are becoming more unpredictable. Last year historical data was thrown about, out and reassembled, meaning that on the Rhine for example, this year's basic data for the gauging stations - some that is - show new lowest ever recorded water levels. Dates mostly October 2018. For flooding there appears to be a trend towards more extreme levels as well.

Undine, a German website with historical data, lists the extreme conditions. For the Danube these are all over the year with either flooding or drought. Looking at the figures and dates, the best month is actually July! Extreme scenarios are least likely then, but this does not mean that you could encounter short incidences due to flooding or low water. Undine directly lists only figures in Germany, referring the reader to other sites for the other states along the Danube. Of the whole Danube valley and adjoining area Germany only has seven percent. It could mean that flooding at the end of June in Passau will run into July in Budapest, depending on the weather in Austria and Slovakia. I am not familiar with any other data than from Germany.

 

In short: in July incidents are not frequent and usually minor, but the caveat is more unpredictability than there used to be.

 

Hope this helps.

 

notamermaid