Rhine water levels 2023 and similar topics

[dandlmc]

Hi everyone, newbie to river cruising and I am concerned about problems with water levels on the Rhine. We are looking at travelling Aug-Sep 2024. Hubby would not be happy if we had to transfer to coaches 😞. Are low water levels common in Aug-Sept? Any advise would be appreciated.

[reeves35]

1 hour ago, dandlmc said:

Hi everyone, newbie to river cruising and I am concerned about problems with water levels on the Rhine. We are looking at travelling Aug-Sep 2024. Hubby would not be happy if we had to transfer to coaches 😞. Are low water levels common in Aug-Sept? Any advise would be appreciated.

Low water is most common in late summer or autumn but that does not necessarily mean you are automatically moved onto coaches.  Often the ships can still get through particularly the more modern riverships which have less draft. Sometimes two ships will meet either side of the part of the river unable to be navigated and passengers swap ships with a small coach transfer in between.  As most companies have a fleet of ships basically the same, you would move into an identical cabin onthe second ship.

 

I believe the last time a significant number of cruises were disrupted to the point where they got offloaded was in 2018.

[notamermaid]

4 hours ago, dandlmc said:

Hi everyone, newbie to river cruising

Welcome to CC and the wonderful world of river cruising. We - the community - always recommend the pinned threads on this board for great info on the topic in general and you can also have a look at specific cruise line articles, comparisons, etc.

 

To low water. August and September normally always has low water, but what does low water mean? For the Rhine low water means 150cm at Kaub for commercial shipping, then other markers follow as the low water increases, i.e. figures go further down. For a modern river cruise ship of 135m length the tricky figures are from 90cm downwards but that does not mean a ship cannot sail. This is an individual decision based on the individual ship and its captain. For August and September we do not have a low water of the kind you do not want to see for river cruising, i.e. it is not a given. Last year August was bad, September was okay to fine.

 

Your fellow Australian has already explained things very well. 🙂

2 hours ago, reeves35 said:

I believe the last time a significant number of cruises were disrupted to the point where they got offloaded was in 2018.

We have had a bit of low water every year since then but not for long. Last year August was a tricky month as I indicated above. 2018, you are correct, was the year for "coach tours" and downright cancellations. If anyone tells you of their awful experience with low water ask which year they went in. If they say 2018, take the info in, and think to yourself that this is not the standard by any means.

 

Coming from so far to Europe you may want to be assured a bit more, as a rule August is better than September but last year was the other way round...

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Kaub gauge is at 151cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[dandlmc]

Thank you everyone for the information. Much appreciated. Looking forward to planning an exciting trip.

[notamermaid]

A quick look at Maxau gauge in the Upper Rhine valley reveals a definite trend towards low water. The weather is stable with warm to very warm temperatures and little to no rain till Sunday (isolated showers and thunderstorms, if any). But overall this will only result in the levels at Kaub falling to a range between 130cm and 105cm most likely.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

I mentioned the transport of the hull "The Gentleman II" by the pushboat Zasavica III in the Danube thread. The new river cruise ship has completed the Danube, Canal and Main legs of her journey and was caught on camera at Rüdesheim with her new "helping hand" - a barge that is taking her on the Rhine to the Netherlands and the shipyard:

 

Retrieved with date and time stamp from the archive of the webcam https://heimatzeithotels.panomax.com/bingen

 

Rüdesheim is on the left of the photo on the opposite embankment to the camera.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Kaub gauge is at 143cm. You can tell it has not rained for a bit. Lawns and village greens are loosing the bright green hue. Forecast and further predictions remain largely unchanged compared to yesterday. Slow decline in figures to continue.

 

notamermaid

 

[bundtkate]

Have we reached a point where we can make an educated guess about early-mid July river levels yet? We'll be arriving in Prague for our Cities of Light river cruise on July 5 and should be on the river starting July 7. We'll be boarding in Bamburg and sailing through to Trier which I know puts us on the Main mostly which I understand is less prone to low water issues, but we are sailing through the Rhine gorge which is probably where we're most likely to encounter trouble? I come from a historically drought-stricken region so my brain tends to worry about water a lot. 😅

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, bundtkate said:

I come from a historically drought-stricken region so my brain tends to worry about water a lot. 😅

You being in Texas I understand that you may be a bit more concerned than we are around here. Sailing Bamberg to Trier you will only encounter low water in the Rhine Gorge basically, if at all at that time.

 

3 hours ago, bundtkate said:

Have we reached a point where we can make an educated guess about early-mid July river levels yet?

A guess certainly but it is just a little too early for an educated one I would say. I am being a little unfair perhaps because the computer modelling is pretty good these days. I prefer not to say too much as the good probability chart gives figures 14 days out. After that it is real guess work based on even more parametres and gets vague. Next week will see rain so the figures are going up towards the end of the month. 150cm at Kaub gauge looks a very likely figure on 28 June. That is not high but nowhere near drought.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

While on the Danube in Bavaria the situation is a little uncertain, on the Rhine - as noted in my previous posts - we have low but reasonable levels. Kaub gauge is at 138cm. The levels are falling really slowly.

 

So let us relax for the time being and look at a post/article from Cruisecritic in the UK. Should you not have decided on sailing on the Rhine yet or are planning a return, you may want to have a look at it and perhaps be surprised by the number of river cruise lines to choose from (and the list is of course not complete): https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles/the-best-rhine-river-cruise?stay=1&posfrom=1

 

notamermaid

 

[bundtkate]

On 6/14/2023 at 1:54 PM, notamermaid said:

You being in Texas I understand that you may be a bit more concerned than we are around here.

So true. Depending on how much rain we get, there are restrictions on our water usage where I live. We've been restricted to one day of lawn watering per week for a few years now. We had a delightful spurt of rain early this summer with few dry days between April and now, but it seems the trend has finally broken with about of week of hot and dry already in the books, and regardless it wasn't enough to actually exit drought conditions. The rest of the week has temperatures ranging from 100-110F (39-43C, I think?) so needless to say, I will be thrilled to hop on a plane to Europe come July. I've had enough already!
 

On 6/14/2023 at 1:54 PM, notamermaid said:

Next week will see rain so the figures are going up towards the end of the month. 150cm at Kaub gauge looks a very likely figure on 28 June. That is not high but nowhere near drought.

This seems like a good place to be in so I'll take it. We've sailed the Rhine Gorge a few times on those ships that just go back and forth between towns along the Rhine (there is probably a German name for them I've forgotten) so it wouldn't be the end of the world if we missed it, but I instinctively expect something different on a genuine river cruise. On those trips, I'm always worrying about how long we'll have in our destination town/village and whether we have to catch a boat back to where we came from or can take a train. Should we get dinner here or go back? And where the heck is the train station there anyway? Having our hotel room sailing with us just feels more relaxing.

Thanks, @notamermaid, for spending your valuable time keeping us updated. I'll have a more relaxing flight knowing the Rhine is in good shape (and I'll be sure to send some good vibes to our friends on the Danube).

[notamermaid]

Quick look at Kaub: 140cm. Still good. Barges and tankers running normally (a bit higher in the water though as load is reduced). Been to the embankment briefly. Forecast level 138cm to 136cm tomorrow. Continued slow decline Monday and Tuesday. I still ignore headlines that tell me of "river too low for shipping" "Rhine drying up" "Drought on the Rhine". Gauges colours still on green on the Rhine (excerpt of map):

 

Moselle, Main and Lahn (East of Koblenz that one) show statistical lows in orange now but that has very little to no impact on shipping on those rivers).

 

Starting Tuesday and then Wednesday into Thursday forecast is still for some rain and reaction of the river to that.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Kaub gauge at 131cm. A slow decline and overall little worsening of the situation along the river and its tributaries since Saturday. Thunderstorms are forecast for tomorrow and the day after. It looks as if, after two hot (for us) and humid days, we can look forward to a cooler day. Reaction of the river in the Rhine Gorge expected on Friday - a rising level at Kaub.

 

notamermaid

 

[flahagan]

Following for August 6 Rhine cruise.

[notamermaid]

Kaub gauge at 126cm. Parts of the valley have already seen some rain during the night. After a further slow decline the reaction to rain comes into view in the tables and on Thursday should put the figures up to 140cm and possibly more.

 

notamermaid

 

[Ed77]

I appreciate your information.  I am planning a Rhine trip in  2024.  Is it possible to suggest a month with the least chance of problems with water levels?  Thx

 

 

[notamermaid]

Welcome to Cruisecritic.

 

53 minutes ago, Ed77 said:

Is it possible to suggest a month with the least chance of problems with water levels? 

It is difficult to say but overall I would say third week of June to third week of July. Flooding rarely happens in this time frame and low water is normally not there yet. The low level we have at Kaub now is not problematic for river cruise ships.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

On 6/19/2023 at 4:49 PM, flahagan said:

Following for August 6 Rhine cruise.

Thank you for saying hello.

 

Early August - very warm days and a splendid time for evening cocktails on the sundeck watching the sun go down.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Kaub gauge at 127cm. The forecast has been slightly adjusted down, but there is still a chance that Thursday we will see 140cm on the graph. Whatever the figures will be tomorrow, Friday looks to be even better. So, time to relax.

 

Onto something completely different. Saw in the news an event that is unique in Germany: street painting in 3D. That ended on Saturday. The international artists painted on the pavements in Neuwied, that is a town just North of Koblenz, with lasting colours meaning the paintings will stay for several weeks as 24/7 exhibition. They could well be still visible in September. Looks interesting. This is the website of the Dutch organizers: https://worldstreetpainting.nl/de/

 

Now, if only Neuwied had a river cruise dock it would be easier to get there...

 

I have recently read in the papers that the town council wants to use a grant (from the Federal government?) and for that needs to compile a tourism strategy paper which they are working on. Sounds like the sort of thing that could take years. A bit slow if they want to have a piece of the fat cake that is river cruising.

 

If you have tons of time then take a train from Koblenz, easy to do, but do not expect a tourism gem. I do recommend the beer garden on the embankment, though, and the palace is nice to look at (not open to the public).

 

notamermaid

 

[SGinNE]

Been following for many weeks now, since our river cruise is July 8. Been a little nervous lately, but promising that there's been some rain, and it looks like it'll be okay for us. Thanks @notamermaid for the constant updates. You are a rock star! 

[notamermaid]

Thank you for your kind words.

4 hours ago, SGinNE said:

Been following for many weeks now, since our river cruise is July 8.

A good time to be on the river if you like hot weather and those splendid warm evenings with cocktails on the sundeck. 🍸 Have a great cruise.

 

Normally water levels are okay on the Rhine then but, yes, they are a little on the low side now, could do with a bit of rain on more than one day.

 

It may be a "violent" night with hail, hopefully nothing of the kind that struck the Neuwied Basin (that is the river stretch between Koblenz and Andernach) last Spring. They still do not have all roofs repaired and in March I still saw lots of blue safety covering on shattered street lights.

 

The warning for hail is in place for much of the Southern half of Germany and some of the Middle, too - which includes my state Rhineland-Palatinate.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

There has been a curious accident on the Rhine. A barge hit the bridge at Karlsruhe-Maxau and caused a damage of half a million euros, according to this German report: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/karlsruhe/schiff-rheinbruecke-maxau-haengengeblieben-100.html

 

It is unusual as most of the Rhine bridges have a lot of headroom and the water level is low. Normally a barge would have no problems sailing but this was a high load, look at the shape of it in the photo. Not sure what this is, it looks like a fancy girder for a bridge or building.

 

The barge is freed, the bridge is cleared but unsafe for heavy truck loads over 44 tons (a precautionary measure). For repairs, meaning erecting scaffolding, river traffic may need to be temporarily halted. All captains will be notified of this in the NfB (online notifications for shipping) of course.

 

Kaub gauge at 134cm.

 

It has been raining in isolated showers, heavy thunderstorms approaching from Belgium and France. I had better close the windows. See ya. And take care.

 

notamermaid

 

[SGinNE]

I was expecting the damage to be more. Luckily it was not. We see that with trucks going under bridges and causing a lot more damage. Although river barges go at a much slower speed. 

 

Be safe from the storms! 

[notamermaid]

6 hours ago, SGinNE said:

Although river barges go at a much slower speed. 

Yes, that may have helped.

 

Reporting back to say that storms were heavy but not as bad as feared around where I am. No real hail damage but I phoned the authorities to report a fallen branch. All trees still standing near me. Got another leak in the roof and the roof gutter gave up trying to cope with all the water (again). The roofer has already had the house I am living in on his to-do list.

 

notamermaid