Rhine water levels 2024 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

What a story @Host Jazzbeau thanks for sharing.

 

Here is the photo of the sign in Andernach. Soldiers painted the direction how to get home, i.e. how far it is, at the side of the subway under the railway bridge. When the railway bridge above needed renovating and widening the authorities wondered how to preserve the site. They found a solution and a plaque explains what the painted kilometre sign post is about:

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

I have put a marker at the site in Andernach:

 

The location is:

50°26'09.8"N 7°24'04.1"E

 

Let us continue with the topic of WWII sites and memorials. There are a couple of places I would like to share the history of.

 

There is the site of Remagen bridge, the site of Urmitz bridge and the site of Bingen bridge. They were "sisters" all built at the same time. I have talked about the Bingen to Rüdesheim bridge in post #195. That leaves Urmitz bridge. But first there is another place that is interesting for folks perhaps. More on that tomorrow.

 

notamermaid

 

[fshagan]

15 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Oh that is an interesting topic. I mean, how to talk to people with a different background in history. Basically, when I speak I naturally am the one on the "loser's side" while you (on this forum) are on the "winner's side". So, yes, a bit of carefully breaching the subject I would say is good. In conversations that are standard on river cruises like "where are you from", "are you interested in anything special", your main reason for travelling can soon become clear. Overall, with so much time passed, almost anyone is laid back about it. Sometimes to Germans, Americans can appear very friendly but a bit direct. But no sweat, not a big deal. Americans and Canadians are seen as friends (and liberators if you look at history) mostly. All good.

 

Thanks for the guidance, and reassurance. Having someone local really does help.

 

Both our fathers were infantry men on the front lines. Most of the stories told to us were about the people, and the beauty of the countryside. They had similar stories, but didn't talk much about fighting battles or things like that. I only know about the path they took into Germany from my research, done after they both were gone.

 

We often visit museums when abroad, so thanks very much for that link to the Peace Museum.

 

 

 

[fshagan]

My father didn't speak German. He talked about a nice German woman (about his mother's age) who gave the men hot water for shaving. There was a lot of pantomime and English and German words passed back and forth. My dad figured out "wasser" was pretty close to "water" but thought the nice woman was saying "ice water" (perhaps she was saying heißes Wasser?) She finally just made some hot water and gave it to them.

 

He said the Germans were easier to understand than the Brits (he could never understand their accent). To be fair to our Brit cousins, they couldn't understand his mid-western, Missouri accent either.  When I asked him how they got past that "language" barrier, he said they got a Canadian to help. That seems too on the nose to be true, but he swore it was. He identified with the old saying that "The Americans and the British are two people separated by a common language".

 

My father in law also talked about an Austrian or German woman the men called "mamma" that was nice to them. He could understand German (his grandparents spoke only German), and even say a few words.

[Canal archive]

Very good friends both businesses and personal of ours went to Austria on holiday the few days spent together in Vienna were extremely enlightening he soon after the war was injured so got enrolled to be an officers driver in Vienna for some reason (that we never found out) he could speak and understand various European languages. People forget this was a divided city he showed us how to see this by the architecture and in some cases the pockmarked walls - if you do a coach tour you will see what I mean. Look out for the starkness of what was the communist section. As we stood watching our other halves on the big (ferris) wheel, both of us being not that happy with heights a man taped him on the shoulder - very Third Man - it was someone he hadn’t seen for many many years, my friend was not a demonstrative person very upright British but there were tears an hugs between a Brit and German men at least forty years ago it still moves me remembering.

[notamermaid]

4 hours ago, fshagan said:

My father in law also talked about an Austrian or German woman the men called "mamma" that was nice to them.

That is so sweet and understandable. Mamma is the word for mum, i.e. the endearing word for mother.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

To the place I hinted at yesterday. That is Nierstein. The town has a river cruise docking area but is hardly frequented by international ships. I mention Nierstein here in post #44: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2516698-rhine-beyond-the-standard-ports/page/2/

The link in that to the Rhine crossing in 1945 no longer works. So here is some info. First, a German history project has created this 360 degrees photo with embedded links (in German): https://vr-easy.com/tour/kuladigrlp/220922-nierstein/#pano=9

You can read an article on the erection of the monument here: https://www.army.mil/article/184917/rhine_crossing_memorial_builds_metaphoric_bridge

 

I find this video good, but am a bit confused as to why they say Oppenheim. That is next to Nierstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOACe6O10H8

 

 

notamermaid

 

[Novakc]

WOW! Both Patton's and Rommel's granddaughters were at the dedication.  Thanks for this.  Yours, Claudia 

[notamermaid]

The last WWII battle site in this little series is the third bridge - Urmitz bridge, its proper old name being Kronprinz-Wilhelm-Brücke. Like its sister bridges it was a railway bridge with pedestrian walkway. I think you can guess what is coming: it was destroyed. But contrary to the other two it was rebuilt after the war, albeit without the massive arch. Let us have a look at the map of the advancing troops, which in that area was the Third Army as part of Operation Lumberjack: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Operation_Lumberjack_map.jpg

The bridge crosses the Rhine at Urmitz to the village (former town) of Engers.

 

 

The story of Urmitz bridge is overshadowed by the events at Remagen which had unfolded a couple of days prior. We will have a closer look at that in a later post.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Remagen bridge was captured on 7 March 1945, Urmitz bridge was destroyed on 9 March 1945. The events at Urmitz and Engers on the other river bank do not make for a tale of heroism and success. Instead, the bridge was blown up while German soldiers retreating to the East bank where still on it. The tragic event and the terrible sight are recalled by Brigadier General Albin F. Irzyk who lead a battalion and had with his men approached the bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U89pNAVXq6s

 

Irzyk lived to the grand age of 101. I am fortunate in having been able to talk to a gentleman, a local historian, who knew him personally. Thanks to this man's efforts the local authorities agreed to erect a plaque at Engers that tells of the tragic day. Urmitz also has a plaque. A small ceremony of remembrance is held every year on 9 March. This is a German article with photos of this year's event: https://www.lebendiges-neuwied.de/News-Gedenken-an-die-Brueckensprengung-item-1120.html

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Kaub gauge at 267cm, a reaction to rain we have had in the last few days. That is a good level, the river is overall in a great range and things are looking pleasant going forward. Brief recap of April coming soon.

 

The river is as busy as ever with barges and tankers, but also lots of river cruise ships. The other day I spotted the S.S. Victoria, i.e. the new livery of the ship. All are nice to look at but I am looking forward to spotting "The Gentleman". Hope it works out as she will not be sailing often in my realm this year.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It is May, let us have a look at how the river did in April. This is Kaub gauge:

In short: a good range all through the month with just typical reactions to rain or the lack of it. Correspondingly, Maxau in the Upper Rhine valley looked like this:

 

As I mentioned in my post above, this good range of levels is very likely to continue.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Just a quick look at what the river is doing after that good amount of rain. Maxau gauge did a bit of a jump but as yet that has no consequence for sailing. Kaub gauge is rising to a level of most likely around 300cm, now at 273cm. That is all fine and a nice buffer for dry days.

 

The stretch of Rhine known as the Rhine Gorge, that is the Upper Middle Rhine valley is considered the most scenic part of the river, but the Lower Middle Rhine valley has, as I have mentioned, also a fair bit of scenic hilly landscape and a few castles. One attraction directly on the river may pass you while sailing - this "whale": https://www.bonnschiff.de/en/unsere-flotte/moby-dick

 

More on the excursion boat in another post.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The Moby Dick is an excursion boat of a Bonn company. The boat sails in the Bonn area but also upstream to Linz regularly with a few trips up to Koblenz. It was built in 1976 and named after the whale in the Rhine. Here is a short video of the boat sailing on the Rhine, with aerial footage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFHK0yncPb0

 

So why "Moby Dick"? In 1966, a beluga whale got lost and sailed up the Rhine. This is the story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby_Dick_(Rhine)

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

To the river levels. I see in the forecast for the High Rhine and the Upper Rhine that a rise is expected. At Maxau we could see a relatively high level for May but no flooding on the 18th. This will have no strong effect further downstream although the levels in the Middle Rhine valley will of course rise in due course. The figures will be just above 300cm most likely at Kaub on 19/20 May. The current level is 232cm.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

We have a severe weather warning for parts of Baden-Württemberg, that includes the Neckar and its tributaries as well as parts of the Upper Rhine valley. The Rhine is due to rise fast and may reach official flooding status at Maxau. This is a change from the modelling published yesterday. Friday into Saturday will see a sharp rise in figures. This wave may cause a bit of trouble for navigation but as of now flood mark II is ruled out. As a consequence the level in the Middle Rhine valley will rise fast but it looks like the wave will not be fed that much by the Main river. We could see a level at Kaub of 360cm and more. That means at Kaub there will be no official flooding as of now.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The warnings for flooding in smaller rivers and a fast rise of the Rhine in the Upper Rhine valley are still standing.  Heavy rain over the Black Forest. Here is the warning map:

https://www.dwd.de/DE/wetter/warnungen_gemeinden/warnkarten/warnkarten_node.html

 

As the weather is - as is usual - coming from the general West, rain is hitting the Vosges mountains as well and we will see a fast rise of the Moselle, with additionally the Saar contributing a lot of water at Trier, too. The confluence with the Moselle is a few kilometres upstream from the city at the town of Konz.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The weather warning map as of now:

 

Purple is the worst weather, level 4, not often seen on the map. In this case rain and flash floods on small rivers. Dangerous. 100-year-occurrences are possible, meaning flooding reaches a level that statistically only happens once in a hundred years.

 

Maxau gauge is now rising fast. Navigational flood mark I will be reached during today and the official flood warning will most likely be triggered during the night. Kaub will rise fast soon but stay under 380cm most likely.

 

I do not like the grey sky outside of my window, a bit ominous...

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

[DougK]

High water in the Upper Rhine is requiring some cruise changes. I have just been informed by Scenic that our cruise due to start in Basel on Wednesday will instead board in Breisach (which is the next day's scheduled stop). If that's the only variation, it will be no big deal. Just hope it's not a harbinger of further changes...

 

 

[notamermaid]

34 minutes ago, DougK said:

I have just been informed by Scenic that our cruise due to start in Basel on Wednesday will instead board in Breisach (which is the next day's scheduled stop).

Wow, that is worse than I expected up there.

 

It has been raining hard here with me but not as bad as I had expected. It may rain more in the next 24 hours.

 

These are the gauges Basel-Rheinhalle and Maxau, as timelines:

https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/webservices/zeitreihe/visualisierung?parameter=WASSERSTAND ROHDATEN&pegeluuid=94f6eff1-4f3f-4850-82e0-a086198e9ffd&pegeluuid=b6c6d5c8-e2d5-4469-8dd8-fa972ef7eaea&ansicht=einzeln

 

According to the forecast, Maxau gauge is on a fast trajectory to over 700cm midday tomorrow. Official flooding level will most likely be reached by midnight tonight.

 

The weather is still calmer in Bavaria and at the Main upstream from Würzburg (which is also Bavaria) so from there the Rhine will not be fed excessively and the Danube should cope better than the Rhine as well as much of the Danube basin lies beyond this weather front.

 

Not fun in my state at the moment and people are anxious with the Ahr valley disaster still so vividly in everyone's mind. The valley is at the top of this map left of the Rhine, so far everything is okay there.

 

The dark purple means "100 year flood" and is hitting the forests away from the large rivers. The purple bit near Luxembourg is the Saar valley.

 

Kaub gauge is at 246cm and due to rise to about 350cm by tomorrow evening. That is not a problem.

 

The Moselle is very high already, update is in that thread.

 

Next update from me not before 1600 hours Saturday.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Update. Much of the huge amount of rain has hit the Saar and its tributaries so that water will drain into the Rhine via the Moselle. The Nahe drains into the Rhine at Bingen, the forests have given that tributary quite a bit of water. But the Neckar is also now draining into the Rhine a lot so are the smaller tributaries coming from the left around Speyer. One example:

 

It just all adds up.

 

Maxau gauge peaked at 708cm during the afternoon. It will go down fast, but then probably stall and stay at a relatively high level, very likely above 600cm.

 

For those new to the topic - Maxau is here nearly Karlsruhe, currently a yellow dot:

 

Kaub will rise all through tomorrow and peak not before Monday afternoon. It is likely to stay under flood mark I.

 

Koblenz has just reached flood mark I, Andernach will during the night, Cologne early in the morning.

 

River traffic bans are issued at flood mark II. The river is far away from that.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

I have just noticed that the Viking Alsvin is docked in Engers, a highly unusual stop for the company. Could it be to due with the high level of the Rhine and especially the Moselle or is it a normal itinerary? If anyone knows I would be interested to read about it.

 

There is a "Viking invasion" at Koblenz as all the docking areas are busy with ships of varying companies and Viking is present there with three (!) ships tonight.

 

Avalon Waterways stops at Engers and offers a concert I believe. The palace is a venue for classical chamber music.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The Moselle does look a bit fierce and brown with debris and sand at Koblenz. Screenshot from the webcam:

 

Viking - three ships of the company. What a busy place Koblenz is.

 

The webcam: https://www.feratel.com/webcams/deutschland/koblenz.html

 

Rhine river level still rising at Koblenz.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Could not resist having a look at the river while out and about today. It certainly has risen fast and is an unappealing colour. Unfortunately more rain is forecast, it could be heavy so will keep the Saar high and the Rhine busy. Maxau gauge is unlikely to fall below 600cm for a few days. Kaub will now likely peak during the night Monday into Tuesday and after a drop will remain over 300cm for some time.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Okay, now that is highly unusual - there are four Viking river cruise ships in Koblenz:

 

Only three names are visible, the Viking Lif is obscured but as the blue shape visible next to the Einar. I do not think I have ever seen the Rhine dock so busy (not that I look every day), there are also ships on the Moselle side but as we know the Moselle is flooding so some ships may just have to wait in Koblenz until the situation eases and they can proceed through the first lock

 

notamermaid