Niedrigwasser: Neues historisches Rekord-Tief an den Rhein-Pegeln

The water levels along the Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia have dropped to new historical lows, with all four major measurement stations reaching record lows. Düsseldorf saw the lowest level ever at 15 centimeters, significantly below the previous record of 20 centimeters. The water level at Duisburg-Ruhrort measured 145 centimeters, surpassing the previous low of 148 centimeters recorded the previous Sunday.

The individual measurement stations' levels on the Rhine cannot be directly compared due to the lack of a uniform zero point. In Cologne, the water level had already fallen below the previous historical low of 67 centimeters just a few days ago and continued to sink to 60 centimeters. In Emmerich, the water level has been in the negative range for days, with the gauge drying up, indicating a level of minus six centimeters.

Forecasts predict it could drop further to minus eight by Saturday. Recovery is imminent, with levels likely to rise by only a few centimeters and remain at low levels by Tuesday. The Rhine branch is significantly deeper than the respective water level at the shoreline. In Cologne, for example, it is 1.11 meters higher. While ships can still navigate, they will be carrying much less cargo than usual. More: Lower Rhine water levels threaten fuel supply in Germany – No respite in sight.