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

[notamermaid]

It has been raining but in this cold weather precipitation is mostly snow. In the absence of long hours of rainfall the level at Pfelling has fallen again and now shows 301cm. Could we see another short spell of low water, something that even the Rhine is potentially getting to (there with few problems anticipated)? Forecast suggests it is going to remain stable just over 300cm but with the actual level being below what the forecast suggested for today I am bit skeptical about tomorrow's.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The level at Pfelling did indeed struggle this morning and fell under 300cm. Currently the gauge shows exactly 300cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge stable today, 300cm right now. Looks as if the level could hold, i.e. staying above 290cm, before snow/rain comes to the area today and tomorrow. Weather report says temperatures in Bavaria are in the minus Celsius during the day. Quite cold. Apparently it has been the coldest night so far this winter.

 

By the way, if you can bear to be out and about in the cold in the evening, look towards the sky and the stars creating the Gemini figure. The Geminids, a meteor shower, are at their peak: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/geminids.html

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge had an unexpected dip and went below 290cm. But the level has risen again and now shows 344cm.

 

Let us stay in Bavaria. Vilshofen, a typical embarkation port, has a webcam of the docking area: https://www.vilshofen.de/index.php/webcam-vilshofen

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Time to have a last look at the river level at Pfelling on the Bavarian Danube. This is what the river did in December:

The beginning of the month saw Pfelling at pleasant levels but it went briefly down on 15 December, generally speaking too low for many large river cruise ships. This fortunately did not last long. A surprising dip we saw on 20 December when the level fell a little below 290cm, meaning it may have caused a slight problem for the odd ship or two. Rising temperatures with snow melt and rain brought the level back up and gave a sharp rise just before Christmas. As the river started on a relative low this did not lead to official flooding. Further downstream we also saw the plus side of starting snow melt from a low level. Passau gauge:

The level rose one and a half metres in about 24 hours. That is a lot but as it stayed below 630cm and did not cause a problem with passage under the low bridge in Passau.

 

Pfelling gauge has ended the year at a good level.

 

I think that is it from me for the Danube for 2022. If you are planning a river cruise you may want to have a look at the monthly summaries to choose your preferred month for sailing. But always remember, nature does as it pleases and no year is the same as the previous one. In other words, plan but be prepared for changes.

 

If you have been on the Danube this year do say hello and keep on posting, photos always especially appreciated, perhaps even from a Christmas market.

 

Thank you all for contributing to this thread in 2022.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thank you for another great year of river level (and other news) updates.  I look forward to resetting the Sticky to reflect your 2023 threads whenever you set them up!