Danube water levels 2022 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[rcaruso]

11 hours ago, notamermaid said:

It has not been a good day for the river in Bavaria. Pfelling gauge went right down, hitting 286cm at lunchtime. It is now back up to 289cm.

 

In the absence of rain this does not bode well for tomorrow. Although the river has recovered during the day a little and is above the anticipated level for tonight, we may see the level go down further tomorrow than it did during today. Hopefully in this case the forecast continues to be a little wrong and Pfelling will be higher than the computer thinks which is 274cm at lunchtime tomorrow.

 

notamermaid

 

We board today in Amsterdam. Looks like ok for Rhine and Main, worst would be 1 ship swap. Thanks for all your posts!

[notamermaid]

3 hours ago, rcaruso said:

We board today in Amsterdam.

Have a good start with a cosy cabin and great food.

 

Brief update: Pfelling gauge staying above forecast for now - is at 286cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge is still running above the forecast, but only slightly and shows 284cm now. A further fall is forecast for tomorrow which could see a figure of 278cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Unfortunately. the forecast was correct this time. Pfelling gauge was at 278cm earlier, right now is at 279cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge is looking a bit better today but it looks as if last minute decisions will still be necessary - ship swap or not? It is a little tight for large river cruise ships that have the deepest drafts. The figure now is 283cm. The forecast for tomorrow is suggesting a higher figure so the situation may ease.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge inching closer to acceptable levels - quite literally one inch up on yesterday (not counting daily fluctuation). At 288cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge is at 295cm, running above the forecast for this evening. Forecast suggests that the level will be more or less stable tomorrow. Hmm, a gap of quite a few centimetres between forecast and actual figure so it is unclear if tomorrow will be a tight day for sailing or not.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Time to look back at October:

 

In October, the river at Pfelling again had its big ups and downs, yet without making us overly nervous. Somewhat surprisingly, the level stayed above 300cm the whole time. A good month for sailing. In the absence of rain the level fell to a low level at the end of the month that was to be expected. Unfortunately the dry period lasted longer this time and November started on a level that looked as if it should make us worry about sailing. As we have seen in last six days, this has come true.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

River level at Pfelling stable today - but a little too low as it dropped overnight. 289cm.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

A cloudless sky over Germany today. Ominous. Pfelling gauge is struggling to recover. Current level is 284cm. Forecast suggests a further drop for tomorrow - overnight from 280cm to 274cm possibly.

 

Hmm, I fear those on the Main and those in Austria now will need to prepare themselves for potential ship swaps, possibly not just with Viking.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

In contrast to the Rhine at Kaub, the Danube at Pfelling has no long distance forecast. 36 hours into the future is already regarded as an estimate, meaning a "computer generated good guess" (my words). Just to give you an idea of what I mean when I compare the current level to the forecast here is the table of tonight:

 

At lunchtime, actual level and forecast were almost identical, tonight we have a higher discrepancy, actual level is 281cm (as published on a different website) compared to 278cm.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

Radar image from 12.55:

 

Around 11am the area around Stuttgart and Konstanz saw much rain which has now subsided but we still see rainy conditions there. Between the two towns we have the big divide between the basins of the Rhine (Stuttgart is on the Neckar river, which flows into the Rhine at Mannheim) and the Danube. Which river system will get more water? From the radar film I would say the Rhine and the forecast seems to suggest that.

 

We will need to wait and see how the Danube situation develops. Pfelling gauge is at 279cm. Current level and forecast for today do not differ much so unfortunately it is likely that tomorrow's figures will be accurate - 270cm in the morning is suggested. A recovery is not anticipated for tomorrow. Could the rain be enough to help the level on Wednesday?

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Again the current level is running above what the forecast suggested for today. A marginally good sign hopefully. 276cm now. For tomorrow the forecast suggests a slight drop, 268cm in the morning. If the level keeps beating the forecast it should stay above that. Still, it is too low and will be too low throughout tomorrow and into Thursday. A proper recovery is not yet anticipated. There is rain over the Upper Danube valley in Baden-Würrtemberg but it does not cover a wide enough area in large amounts to this laywoman's eye.

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

Notamermaid-  I checked Regensburg, and the forecast shows rain Wednesday to Friday.  Is that what your forecast shows, and would it be enough to keep everyone sailing without worrying for a bit?

 

Thanks

[rcaruso]

We are on our way to Regensburg from Nuremberg. We will dock in Kelheim in am to let people off for Munich tour. Will be in Regensburg after lunch. Expecting rain, and Viking is expecting we sail on Thursday to Passau, keep your fingers crossed!

[notamermaid]

38 minutes ago, ural guy said:

I checked Regensburg, and the forecast shows rain Wednesday to Friday.

Forecast shows quite a bit of rain:

Not sure if this will be enough, but it looks more promising than yesterday.

 

Interestingly, the current level has substantially beaten the forecast modelled this morning, so I expect the amended forecast tomorrow morning to show us more promising figures:

 

Which means that the computer got it quite wrong and even my slightly more hopeful but skeptical assessment at lunchtime was wrong, too.

 

13 minutes ago, rcaruso said:

Expecting rain, and Viking is expecting we sail on Thursday to Passau, keep your fingers crossed!

Tight but sounds possible indeed. Looks like Viking is expecting the additional inch in the level (i.e. closer to 290cm) they need to be there by Thursday. Really hope it works out for you.

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

rcaruso- Passau is a favorite of ours, if you have time, there is a Roman Museum located where they have excavated part of their old settlement.  Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[rcaruso]

2 hours ago, ural guy said:

rcaruso- Passau is a favorite of ours, if you have time, there is a Roman Museum located where they have excavated part of their old settlement.  Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Thanks, we love Passau , have been many times. Was there last year after our cruise in November when they had to remove the Christmas market due to Bavarian regulations for Covid, so sad.

[rcaruso]

Ok just got notice that we will stop in Regensburg at 12 and then leave at 2pm to traverse the piece of the Danube between Regensburg and Passau. The lowest is at 282 cm and the ship will sail through. Most people will be off ship due to tours and meet ship at Straubing. So we will sail through for now. 

[notamermaid]

3 hours ago, rcaruso said:

So we will sail through for now. 

Glad to hear it. Really tight. Current level is 280cm, so stable but no real improvement on yesterday. Indication of a recovery is during Friday, for tomorrow the forecast still only gives figures under 290cm.

 

Would love to see Passau with Christmas lights on. The market at the Dom starts on 23 November: https://passauer-christkindlmarkt.de/

They do it the traditional way and start after Sunday of the Dead.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[rcaruso]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Glad to hear it. Really tight. Current level is 280cm, so stable but no real improvement on yesterday. Indication of a recovery is during Friday, for tomorrow the forecast still only gives figures under 290cm.

 

Would love to see Passau with Christmas lights on. The market at the Dom starts on 23 November: https://passauer-christkindlmarkt.de/

They do it the traditional way and start after Sunday of the Dead.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Oh das ist schade. But Christmas Market will be open in Vienna. We will be picking up folks soon in Straubing.

Edited November 16, 2022 by rcaruso

[rcaruso]

The Viking Ve made it to Passau early this morning! Drizzle in morning, nothing significant. Already went to DM and Edeka for our Senf.

[notamermaid]

17 hours ago, rcaruso said:

Oh das ist schade. But Christmas Market will be open in Vienna.

A shame indeed. But I am sure the Christmas market in Vienna will be great.

 

Just now, rcaruso said:

The Viking Ve made it to Passau early this morning! Drizzle in morning, nothing significant. Already went to DM and Edeka for our Senf.

Good news! I was actually typing when you posted, so thinking of you. The level has gone down to 276cm so you sailed on the tiny wave during the night (it is more daily fluctuation but let's call it a wave). You were in the right place at the right time - and may have sailed with less drinking water in the tanks.

 

I remember you saying there are things at DM (drugstore chain) that you like, glad you have been able to get the shopping in 🙂.

 

Hope you have a great time in Passau.

 

Oh and by the way for the others trying to get through from Straubing to Vilshofen: there is the promised rain on the radar, a nice amount over the Bavarian Danube valley.

 

notamermaid

 

[rcaruso]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

A shame indeed. But I am sure the Christmas market in Vienna will be great.

 

Good news! I was actually typing when you posted, so thinking of you. The level has gone down to 276cm so you sailed on the tiny wave during the night (it is more daily fluctuation but let's call it a wave). You were in the right place at the right time - and may have sailed with less drinking water in the tanks.

 

I remember you saying there are things at DM (drugstore chain) that you like, glad you have been able to get the shopping in 🙂.

 

Hope you have a great time in Passau.

 

Oh and by the way for the others trying to get through from Straubing to Vilshofen: there is the promised rain on the radar, a nice amount over the Bavarian Danube valley.

 

notamermaid

 

Thanks for thinking of me. I slept through the night, but I hear from others it was ver very noisy. Scraping bottom. We love Passau a very comfortable town for us.

[notamermaid]

Now this is looking much better. Pfelling has risen overnight to now 300cm.

 

It is raining over the Danube valley this morning.

 

Time to relax about the river's levels? Not sure what is happening further downstream. For now, in Bavaria, things are certainly looking better.

 

notamermaid