Danube water levels 2021 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[notamermaid]

Over the course of today we have seen a slow but steady fall so that the level at Pfelling now stands at 288cm. No forecast available. Weather map indicates no precipitation in the German Danube basin tomorrow and only a modest amount on Tuesday much of which will drain via the Isar river. This water does not help the river around Pfelling.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The level at Pfelling has kept around the 290cm mark, is now at 288cm.

 

The rain today in the upper reaches of the Danube in Germany is not substantial. Will it be able to sustain the current status seeing that no rain is forecast for tomorrow and Thursday?

The forecast suggests a slight fall.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Level at Pfelling now at 285cm, forecast suggests little change.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The Danube at Pfelling has been a bit up and down during the day but overall is slightly better than yesterday. Now at 291cm. May this just about hold till rain comes Sunday into Monday? No rain forecast tomorrow or Saturday.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Rain has reached the Upper Danube in Germany today, but the amount has not been very substantial. There are scattered showers in the Danube basin now, but tomorrow will be an overall dry day. The level at Pfelling has fallen to 282cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The level at Pfelling had dropped further during the night but has since recovered. It now stands at 288cm.  WIth rain forecast all over the German Danube basin for tomorrow and Tuesday, could this soon mean the end of the low river levels?

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The level at Pfelling has gone up to 294cm and the graph in the forecast looks promising.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge now stands at 318cm and rain is also forecast for tomorrow so this should give a good amount of water to get the Danube in Germany well through the weekend and into next week when little to no rain is forecast.

 

And here is something a little different, an award for a webcam. Yes, very modern times! Feratel was looking for the best views from a webcam in three categories, Passau webcam won second prize in the category Stadtland which is like "cityscapes". Here is the article in German: https://www.pnp.de/lokales/stadt-und-landkreis-passau/passau-stadt/feratel-PanoramaAward-Auszeichnung-fuer-Passau-Webcam-4152926.html

And of course to judge for ourselves we need the webcam (which I have posted before but it is really worth doing again): https://www.feratel.com/webcams/deutschland/passau.html

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Rain has given the Danube a good amount of water but the level at Pfelling is on a downward trend again. The figure right now is 309cm. While not much water is lost in these cool temperatures, we will most likely nevertheless see a further slow fall as little to no rain is forecast in all areas of the German Danube basin from today till Friday.

 

notamermaid

 

[loriva]

We boarded the Crystal Ravel on 27 October.  We were scheduled to board in Budapest, but could not due to the low water levels in the Danube.  The Ravel had disembarked passengers in Esztergom, Hungary on 26 October and sailed into Budapest, docking near the Great Market Hall, to take on supplies.  They had a skeleton crew and emptied the pool to reduce the weight of the ship Crystal staff told us.  But they still hit the river bed on their trip back out of Budapest.  We saw the ship plus a bunch of Viking and others that day when we were in the area of the market.  Crystal put the passengers who disembarked on the 26th up at the Ritz-Carlton (where they also do check-in for the cruises departing from Budapest) for the final night.  After check-in for our cruise, Crystal loaded us on buses for the trip to Esztergom, where we boarded the Ravel.  Not sure if water levels have recovered enough for the Ravel to sail into Budapest for those who boarded on 03 November, but hoping so.  

[notamermaid]

@loriva Thank you for your post and the info on Budapest. I am a little surprised it was this bad in the city. From past years I have learnt that in Germany the situation deteriorates first, then a couple of shallows in Austria, then the Budapest municipality area. It sounds as if the tributaries of Austria, etc. have also given the Danube not enough water to sustain the level there a bit longer. I hope it is better now. As I said in my previous post, the river level at Pfelling is getting lower again. At 306cm now, that is little change to yesterday, but the unfavourable weather forecast still stands - virtually no rain before Friday, and not much on that day.

 

It is getting wintery, folks! Mild night frost expected in most parts of Germany over the next few days, even down in the cooler valleys. Daytime temperatures could stay in the single digits in many places. The weekend of 20/21 November will likely see snow in the mountains and high hills.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Not expecting snow ha ha but we’ve already had a couple of pretty heavy frosts and we’re not in frost hollows.

[notamermaid]

On 11/9/2021 at 6:02 PM, Canal archive said:

Not expecting snow ha ha but we’ve already had a couple of pretty heavy frosts and we’re not in frost hollows.

It has been mild for late October and beginning of November. And the weather forecast has changed a little, now snow is less likely.

 

I have found the option for the monthly graph again, so here is a recap for Pfelling:

Pfelling gauge is at 294cm right now. The forecast is for light rain over the Danube basin on Saturday, little rain on Sunday, no rain on Monday.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Welcome to the wonderful world of river cruising.

 

3 hours ago, awanderingminstreli said:

What river has the least number of issues historically concerning water levels?

Hmm, good question. And one that I cannot answer. Not sure if anyone has ever been able to get a comparison together on CC. Among the rivers of Europe there are many that have few to no issues with low water as they are regulated by locks. Flooding can affect you in Europe almost everywhere depending on season. Away from Europe I personally have no idea.

 

As for an easy, straightforward river to start with: many start on the Rhine, many on the Danube - which have both low water problems in autumn - not always, but almost every year to varying degrees. So, for the best river for you, may I suggest you post this as your personal thread, I mean the "start new topic" button, as this is your personal question, i.e. your "bunny slope" . Perhaps you could tell us if you prefer a season or a country or an area of interest.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

A quick look at Pfelling gauge reveals that the river is stable albeit at a low level. Now at 297cm. Virtually no rain forecast for most of the Danube basin in Germany, in this case I mean Donaueschingen to Straubing, today, Monday and Tuesday.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited November 14, 2021 by notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Despite the weather report not having been favourable on Sunday, we have seen an improvement in the water levels. Pfelling gauge right now stands at 302cm. Allowing for daily fluctuations, this is looking okay. The next two days show not much change in the graph, i.e. the forecast/prediction.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

@steamboats has just brought us the news that parts of Austria will go into a full lockdown:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2803685-and-what-about-the-christmas-market-cruises/page/3/#comments

 

 

More details to follow from the authorities later.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Since Wednesday we have seen increased fluctuations in the level at Pfelling but overall a steady decline. The level stood at 282cm at 7am. No sign of recovery over the weekend and the strong forecast for a further decline.

 

As discussed in the other threads on the current situation, Austria and Bavaria are struggling with Covid. If you are on a grand tour from Budapest to Amsterdam - could this mean a ship swap?

 

If you are affected, do share your experience.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling has taken a real turn for the worse and currently stands at 271cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling at 271cm. Rain along the Northern tributaries and the German Upper Danube today and tomorrow. Enough to raise the level significantly? I am sceptical. No rain forecast for Tuesday.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Not much of an reaction for the better at Pfelling. Level is currently 282cm. Prediction does not show likely improvement for the next 36 hours. Most likely a stagnation (with standard daily fluctuations).

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

I think there must be a malevolent river creature that read my post yesterday and pulled the plug out near Pfelling just to annoy me (and river cruisers). Unfortunately unlikely to be a computer glitch, the level at Pfelling now is 267cm. 

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The Danube has been up and down in Germany, but overall the gauge at Pfelling is struggling to show decent figures. It has stayed below 290cm all the time since my last post. Current figure is 270cm.

 

The hope for a rise is quite literally in the air, it is raining or snowing in Bavaria. I cannot say how much and exactly where so cannot really say if this is a decent amount that will raise the levels from Kelheim to Vilshofen.  By tomorrow we shall know more.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

@steamboats I have heard from an acquaintance that it snowed in Munich yesterday. Are you able to enjoy the white landscape or is it interfering with commuting too much?

 

I read on DWD that there is a storm warning for tomorrow including a danger of snow drifts. Not a good day for being in the Bavarian Forest I should think.

 

Pfelling still low, no real rise yet along the Upper Danube. Current figure is 274cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

On 11/29/2021 at 3:03 PM, notamermaid said:

@steamboats I have heard from an acquaintance that it snowed in Munich yesterday. Are you able to enjoy the white landscape or is it interfering with commuting too much?

 

I read on DWD that there is a storm warning for tomorrow including a danger of snow drifts. Not a good day for being in the Bavarian Forest I should think.

 

We had snow on Friday, nothing on Saturday... can´t say for sure on Sunday as we flew to London and did not return until yesterday afternoon (QM2´s first cruise). The major problem yesterday was to get back home after that WWII bomb exploded close to the train tracks (at a construction site for the new tunnel for the suburban trains). Although traffic was already up and running we had to wait for more than an hour at the airport until a suburban train arrived.

 

steamboats