The Elbe river 2024 - not just water levels

[notamermaid]

Here she is: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:330328/mmsi:269057333/imo:0/vessel:KATHARINA_VON_BORA

 

As I write she is in Hennigsdorf/Heiligensee whereabouts. That looks to be the Eastern itinerary away from Berlin. Here destination is given as Barth in the Bodden landscape near Stralsund. Never knew that you could sail around there. Not sure that the Katharina von Bora will sail right to that port inland, but there are excursion boats around there. I found this beauty which looks a little out of place in Germany, somewhat American, the River Star, sailing from Zingst to Zingst today: https://reederei-poschke.de/schiffe/river-star

She was built in Poland(!) in 2003. I love that paddle wheel.

 

@RDVIK2016 thank you for the photos. The Spree in Berlin does have a lot of excursion boat traffic and its waters reach the Elbe via the Havel of course. I am not sure that the Spree has the ability to take river cruise ships for much of its course but a lot of its water splashes around the ships that dock at Spandau when in Berlin. That is close to the mouth of the Spree with the Havel. Incidentally, both the Frederic Chopin and the Johannes Brahms are in greater Berlin right now and sailing as I write.

 

notamermaid

 

[RDVIK2016]

12 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Here she is: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:330328/mmsi:269057333/imo:0/vessel:KATHARINA_VON_BORA

 

As I write she is in Hennigsdorf/Heiligensee whereabouts. That looks to be the Eastern itinerary away from Berlin. Here destination is given as Barth in the Bodden landscape near Stralsund. Never knew that you could sail around there. Not sure that the Katharina von Bora will sail right to that port inland, but there are excursion boats around there. I found this beauty which looks a little out of place in Germany, somewhat American, the River Star, sailing from Zingst to Zingst today: https://reederei-poschke.de/schiffe/river-star

She was built in Poland(!) in 2003. I love that paddle wheel.

 

@RDVIK2016 thank you for the photos. The Spree in Berlin does have a lot of excursion boat traffic and its waters reach the Elbe via the Havel of course. I am not sure that the Spree has the ability to take river cruise ships for much of its course but a lot of its water splashes around the ships that dock at Spandau when in Berlin. That is close to the mouth of the Spree with the Havel. Incidentally, both the Frederic Chopin and the Johannes Brahms are in greater Berlin right now and sailing as I write.

 

notamermaid

 

Katharina von Bora would be a great name for a entire class of ships named for women of the Reformation. Katherina Zell could be for a boat traveling the Rhein as she was from Strasbourg. Also Argula von Grumbach has a nice ring to the name for cruises on the Bavarian Danube.

 

I asked a crew member of our Spree excursion boat about "hotel ships" making it into the Spree from Spandau and he said they do not.

RDVIK

[RDVIK2016]

We visited Dresden at the end of April, and even though we got there from Berlin by train, we felt pulled to the Elbe for some sights.

 

Do flood waters ever enter the city in Dresden? One would think not due to the expansive flood plain along the Elbe there.

 

I caught a Viking ship in the distance in one photo. The Graefin Cosel looks like it might be a hotel ship,but is a "saloon ship" for dining, etc. I thought it looked a bit odd that the boats had their bows pointed downstream - normally they like turn them selves with bows facing the flow of the rivers - maybe the Elbe here is slow moving enough for this orientation.  

 

Up stream at the Czech border the Elbe passes through a picturesque landscape. (view from train headed to Prague)

 

RDVIK

[AnhaltER1960]

4 hours ago, RDVIK2016 said:

Do flood waters ever enter the city in Dresden? One would think not due to the expansive flood plain along the Elbe there.

 

Yes those very high floods like 2002 do. You can find aerial photos of that by googling "Elbe flood 2002 Dresden". Although in 2002 it was not only the Elbe, but also some tributaries, at normal times just small burns, which are usually crossing the city in underground pipes.

[thetravelsofmrsb]

Hi all,

 

As promised I have written a few reviews of our recent holiday in April sailing the Elbe river with Viking.

 

This post is about the ship we sailed on . . .

 

https://thetravelsofmrsb.com/2024/05/21/sailing-the-elbe-river-with-viking/

 

With this one about the itinerary . . .

https://thetravelsofmrsb.com/2024/05/29/elegant-elbe-itinerary-on-viking/

 

Hope you enjoy reading!

[AnhaltER1960]

Weather forecasts call for heavy rainfalls in Bohemia, Bavaria and Saxony the next days. A Genoa low type Vb is underway. These are low pressure systems with warm air starting in the mediterranean (Genoa....) take plenty of humidity over the Thyrrhenian and Adriatic seas, run eastward around the Alps and then rain down against the Alps (but also the hills around the Bohemian basin) from north/northeast. Often caught by other weather systems they can be quite stable and stay in place for several days, resulting in massive rainfalls - an average of one or two months within days.
The consequences for the Danube are discussed in the Danube blog and it is not clear yet, if there will be a flood on the Elbe. The Elbe had been a bit dry in recent weeks, thus can drain some water. However, there is a lot of rain in the air. The last Elbe floods, notably 2013 and 2003, had been results of those Vb-lows. The next days are going to be interesting.

[notamermaid]

21 minutes ago, AnhaltER1960 said:

The last Elbe floods, notably 2013 and 2003, had been results of those Vb-lows.

Ach Du meine Güte. Hope you will not get inundated over there. 2003 was really, really bad.

 

21 minutes ago, AnhaltER1960 said:

Often caught by other weather systems they can be quite stable and stay in place for several days, resulting in massive rainfalls - an average of one or two months within days.

This has been suggested for a few places along the Rhine but this system seems to favour the Danube right now. It may turn over tomorrow again into the Rhine basin instead. As you know, the Rhine and Danube are close to each other in the Southwest. If it is as stable as you say and keeps turning round and round we will all get too much rain.

 

In 2013 we had a bad year, in much of Europe, June saw the Rhine far too high and the Danube the Jahrhunderthochwasser at Passau.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[AnhaltER1960]

1 hour ago, AnhaltER1960 said:

The last Elbe floods, notably 2013 and 2003, had been results of those Vb-lows. The next days are going to be interesting.

Sorry, typo. Should read 2013 and 2002.....

[notamermaid]

Just now, AnhaltER1960 said:

Sorry, typo. Should read 2013 and 2002.....

Oh my, was it 2002? My memory, did not notice that. I should have remembered really.

 

I see that a few gauges in the Czech Republic have turned from green to yellow, denoting mild flooding.

 

The map also shows flood warnings in Thuringia:

 

I guess most of that is also the Elbe basin, right?

 

notamermaid

 

[AnhaltER1960]

26 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

I guess most of that is also the Elbe basin, right?

 

notamermaid

 

Yes. Some parts of western/southwestern Thuringia discharge into the Weser, but most of the orange parts is Elbe territory. Though only the very eastern part around Dresden the Elbe directly, then there is most parts of Saxony the Mulde (with confluence into the Elbe at Dessau) and further west into the Saale, confluence into the Elbe half way between Dessau and Magdeburg. So the impact on Viking Elbe cruises (no other companies sailing the Elbe right now) between Wittenberg and Decin might be limited, as most of the water reaches the Elbe further downstream. Viking cruises will be affected by heavy rainfalls in Bohemia. But they look likely too.

[RDVIK2016]

On 5/26/2024 at 2:33 AM, Canal archive said:

Marine Traffic is usually a good site to find a ships draft on but I cannot find the Katherine von bora anywhere.

Check you spelling. It is Katharina von Bora.  Here's a Wikipedia page https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_von_Bora_(Schiff)

[Host Jazzbeau]

Is this rain also falling on Czech?  I.e., is it filling the Czech reservoirs so they will have more water to release once the flooding has subsided?

[AnhaltER1960]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Is this rain also falling on Czech?  I.e., is it filling the Czech reservoirs so they will have more water to release once the flooding has subsided?

To a certain extent, yes. In my earlier post I used "Bohemia", as the Bohemian basin is the catchment area for the Elbe/Vlatava. And the reservoirs should already be filled.

[Canal archive]

RDVIK2016 thank you and got it, draught is reported to be 1.6 mtrs. Don’t laugh I’ve now forgotten what I was looking for it for! Never mind. The info may be useful to someone.

[cruisebug722]

Excuse my ignorance of this river, do I take it to read that both drought and flooding can affect whether the Elbe river cruises actually happen?  Viking rescheduled my trip from last October to this June and now I wonder if it will ever happen?  I reach out to the experts.  Thanks.

[AnhaltER1960]

2 hours ago, cruisebug722 said:

Excuse my ignorance of this river, do I take it to read that both drought and flooding can affect whether the Elbe river cruises actually happen?  Viking rescheduled my trip from last October to this June and now I wonder if it will ever happen?  I reach out to the experts.  Thanks.

Both drought and flooding can affect any river, depending on weather. Also the Elbe which is free flowing between the last lock at Usti in the Czech republic and Hamburg (Geesthacht), where she reaches tidal waters.
While 10 days ago it was dry and cruises were about to stop (Viking did not stop though) for low water, rain had lited the rivel level since. Now the massive rainfalls expected in South Germany will also hit the Elbe catchment area, to what extent remains to be seen. The forecasts give a rise in water levels, but so far still well below flood level three days out.

What time in June you will be travelling ?

[cruisebug722]

27 minutes ago, AnhaltER1960 said:

Both drought and flooding can affect any river, depending on weather. Also the Elbe which is free flowing between the last lock at Usti in the Czech republic and Hamburg (Geesthacht), where she reaches tidal waters.
While 10 days ago it was dry and cruises were about to stop (Viking did not stop though) for low water, rain had lited the rivel level since. Now the massive rainfalls expected in South Germany will also hit the Elbe catchment area, to what extent remains to be seen. The forecasts give a rise in water levels, but so far still well below flood level three days out.

What time in June you will be travelling ?

We don't actually embark until June 26th so almost too far away to predict and panic I suppose.  Thanks for helping.

[AnhaltER1960]

23 minutes ago, cruisebug722 said:

We don't actually embark until June 26th so almost too far away to predict and panic I suppose.  Thanks for helping.

End of June is good news. If there is a flood now, which is not sure yet, it will be gone by then. Flood levels, which impede river cruising, rarely last longer than a week/10 days. And after the flood the river, its tributaries and the groundwater will be filled well, so you can expect decent levels for sailing. Unless its raining all June, of course...

[Canal archive]

All fingers and toes crossed plus a prayer to the river gods.

[cruisebug722]

55 minutes ago, AnhaltER1960 said:

End of June is good news. If there is a flood now, which is not sure yet, it will be gone by then. Flood levels, which impede river cruising, rarely last longer than a week/10 days. And after the flood the river, its tributaries and the groundwater will be filled well, so you can expect decent levels for sailing. Unless its raining all June, of course...

 

[Canal archive]

No it darn’t rain all of June it’s my birthday month! Love your fingers crossed bug, superb.

[cruisebug722]

7 hours ago, Canal archive said:

No it darn’t rain all of June it’s my birthday month! Love your fingers crossed bug, superb.

[notamermaid]

Uiii, sweet.

 

The month has ended on a high for the Elbe, high water that is not flooding as we see it in other places. I will post the month of May another day. Dresden gauge is now at 217cm and the river needs to get to around 400cm before the officials call it flooding. You can see that the warnings are for the tributaries and its areas but not for the river Elbe itself:

 

notamermaid

 

[cruisebug722]

9 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Uiii, sweet.

 

The month has ended on a high for the Elbe, high water that is not flooding as we see it in other places. I will post the month of May another day. Dresden gauge is now at 217cm and the river needs to get to around 400cm before the officials call it flooding. You can see that the warnings are for the tributaries and its areas but not for the river Elbe itself:

 

notamermaid

 

I'll be "Pollyanna" and take this as great news for the month of June cruises.  Thanks

[notamermaid]

14 minutes ago, cruisebug722 said:

I'll be "Pollyanna" and take this as great news for the month of June cruises.  Thanks

Well, this not being my realm (Florida and the US as such) I googled Pollyanna. Happy optimistic child, right? I tentatively join and say that the river in contrast to the Danube may just about avoid flooding this time round. We will see how it goes next week as the river needs to take up what the Vltava, Otava and Berounka are bringing. And I fully admit that I had never read of the latter two before this year. Geography learning as a side effect of watching the river levels.

 

notamermaid