Rhine water levels 2022 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

4 minutes ago, texasmomoftwo said:

At one point do we get nervous about waterlevels?  100cm? 

Below 90cm for nervousness - in dry conditions and summer. No bus rides that I know of at 90cm, just the "prepare yourself for the possibility if the level falls further" feeling. In the conditions now and at this time of year I do not see that happening and the long range forecast almost rules it out, meaning probability is below 10 percent as of today.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The Rhine at Kaub in November:

 

The month started with the level being on the low side but high enough for river cruise ships. The first half of November saw steady levels. Then, corresponding to the situation on the Danube, heavy rain set in and made the river shoot up to a level just over the mean water line. The gradual decrease following the spike was not fast enough to bring the level down again to what it had been in the first half of the month and remained at a pleasant level for all river cruise ships without bringing Kaub gauge close to any figures that could make us worry what will be in December.

 

notamermaid

 

[PKNC]

I've been watching the Kaub forecast and see that it's at 106cm and still falling. It's now expected to bottom out later in the week than initially predicted. I'm getting a little wary, we are supposed to cruise the Rhine Gorge on the 17th or 18th, we leave Basel on Dec. 14th. Fingers crossed that it doesn't dip below the 90cm mark.

[notamermaid]

Thank you for the info. It shows that things can still change and a slight shift in clouds and weather conditions can still bring low water issues, albeit on a small scale and usually only briefly. Forecast for today and actual level today are very close in figures so we can presume tomorrow's figure will be accurate, i.e. the level of 104cm in the table we are almost guaranteed to see. The down trend continues in the forecast and it is now very likely that the level will fall below 100cm. There is a strong probability to just scrape the 90cm before the level rises again. It should be clearer by Wednesday what happens with the figures. It is cold, day temperatures are around zero Celsius and precipitation is - when it happens - basically all snow. No real chance for the river levels to rise. The high hills and Alps now retain water as snow.

The county (Land) Baden-Württemberg in the map, the Rhine is bordering the left of the green colour for much of it, the -3 figure bottom left is the Basel knee of the Rhine:

 

We expect snow in many more areas during the week. Today there is not much in the valley. I have seen the odd flake, barely enough to create white specks on dark stone. Hillier regions have had a bit more and in photos I can see that they have a thin blanket of snow. Clouds are drifting in from the West so we may get a little more snow in the evening.

 

The webcam in Rüdesheim with the Niederwald Monument:

https://www.feratel.com/webcams/deutschland/ruedesheim-am-rhein.html

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

A day trip to Königswinter part 3

continued from post #1139

About the donkey at the museum's entrance: several donkeys are standing around the town leading the way to the museum. The animal is the unofficial symbol of the town as donkeys used to carry tourists up the Drachenfels hill. You can still book a donkey ride for children up to 40kgs: https://www.siebengebirge.com/index.php/9-ausflugsziele/11-eselritt-zum-drachenfels

 

Inside the museum we only wanted to visit the bathing exhibition but the exhibition on Baedeker guide books and landscape paintings had been extended by several weeks so we were lucky to be able to spent some time in that room as well. The bathing exhibition was a bit limited in the range of area of the Rhine that it covered, but I had expected that. So it was a nice bonus to read about Karl Baedeker. The gentleman had lived in Koblenz and was publisher of guide books covering many areas of Europe. The books in what was to become an iconic red binding and cover were known for their details and accuracy.

 

With still time to spare we checked out the permanent displays upstairs. They cover the town and immediate area. Among the topics is sailing on the river of course:

 

 

Peter Heinrich Merkens was the founder of the Preußisch-Rheinische Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft in 1825, a company that later turned into the Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD). Apparently he has a modern statue on Cologne town hall:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Heinrich_Merkens#/media/Datei:Rathausturm_Köln_-_Sulpiz_Boisserée_-_Peter_Heinrich_Merkens-4866.jpg

 

An early version of the folding course of the Rhine maps:

 

It was time to head back home and for that we chose the river route which gave us glimpses of the embankments of several towns and villages. Königswinter trees:

 

KD landing stage in Königswinter:

 

I think Viking uses that place to dock. Several years ago I saw the Viking Gefjon there.

 

More trees further along:

 

It was still raining in varying amounts. So the towers at Erpel looked a little gloomy and menacing:

 

Erpel town is on the left bank, with the Erpeler Ley, that is the hill and rock face, here visible to the left of the towers. You will be more familiar with the corresponding side: Remagen bridge towers on the right bank, with the Peace Museum inside them.

 

As we drove further along the river the weather got a little better and Linz presented itself in more favourable conditions:

 

The small town Linz am Rhein, as it is also known to distinguish it from Linz in Austria, has a relatively wide embankment and therefore in the 19th century had room for the railway line to be built there. Passing underneath it you get into the town centre and that tower is - you probably guessed it - part of the Medieval town wall. A pleasant place. It also has a busy docking area for excursion boats, space for river cruise ships and operates a ferry to the opposite embankment.

 

This was a pleasant trip and I can say that the town is interesting enough but the big attraction is Drachenfels hill and that certainly is worth visiting if you are in Bonn on a river cruise ship. Since my trip I have learnt that the Sealife Centre (an aquarium-cum-educational-museum-zoo also found in other countries as it is a chain) will be closing down at the end of this year. Königswinter loses an important tourist attraction but for me the draw at Königswinter has always been the traditional sights rather than this modern one. I hope to next year make my way to the town again, then up the hill to Drachenburg Castle.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

A quick look at Kaub gauge. At 102cm and falling. 99cm is expected for tomorrow. The level falls slowly so further figures take us only to 95cm on Thursday morning. That is likely to be the day with the lowest figure, which one will it be?  Staying just above 90cm is the most likely scenario as of today.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Kaub gauge has had a slightly surprising turn for the better, i.e. did not fall further. A light dip and back to 102cm. It has pushed the low figures by a day and now the lowest ones we should see on Friday. Just a small change in that - but I dare say with a hint of not going quite as low as forecast before. Whether it will be 94, 93 or 92cm is not of real importance though.

 

Time to keep the promise I made in the Water Cooler thread on posting photos from the event "Lumagica".

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It looked good yesterday and the forecast promising, but the river has decided otherwise, meaning a surprising drop has happened during the day. The level is now back up to 98cm which throws off the forecast and leaves us a bit puzzled - me anyway - as to what may happen tomorrow. Overall, we should be in the last low for this year and higher levels are anticipated from this weekend onwards.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

At the end of October I went to Neuwied to see the Lumagica light show. It was staged in the grounds of a former company that was making metal products, partly for the car industry I think. It closed a few years ago and will be converted. I like old industry so thought this may be a nice event. It was relatively easy to find in the suburb of Niederbieber, good sign posts and car park attendants helped you to find a space in the dark in designated areas. The first glimpse of the company:

 

A knight in very shining armour:

The blue lights are strings and it was a very effective display. I enjoyed standing among the lights.

 

This being a company with rail access to the main line, the events people of course used the old tracks to good effect. A railway engine was ready to take the visitors into the world of fantasy and the dreams of the young son of the boss in the 19th century - inspired by the works of Jules Verne. As regards installations the engine just had to be one of my favourites:

 

The shed housed the food stalls from where we walked into the open grounds:

 

The company is very close to the river Wied. A natural, logical thing as the water (and steam) had been used to drive hammers and wheels before electricity came along. As it was dark and there were lots of bushes we could not see the water really. I know the small river was behind this sign here:

 

We walked on and found the peacock that was a light show telling a story, all with music and elaborate sequencing of lights. Well done. I took a short video and then the battery on my camera went flat. Could not use my smartphone that evening. Fortunately, my travel companion took more photos that I can look at (privately).

 

I found more impressions of the event online. A short youtube video which from 1:19 shows the peacock. It is the symbol of the town:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN-KMHC6N6w

 

I enjoyed the evening. All in all it was not as good as last year, where the location in another industrial area was bigger and better, but this year it was more imaginative for children I would say.

 

As a side note, having seen this kind of show, I have decided not to go to the Christmas Garden in Koblenz. I am sure this event on Ehrenbreitstein Fortress is good but another cold night for 17plus euros I think I will not do and decide to spend the money on an indoor concert instead.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

The snow has almost gone in the valley, the temperature has risen considerably. After the low at Kaub the level has risen a little. The snow melt will lead to a substantial increase in the next few days so that Christmas will see much higher levels.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

Snow melt and rain are coinciding so the river is rising relatively fast. At Maxau in the the Upper Rhine valley we may see a level of over 600cm. This means that over Christmas river traffic could have to slow down as the high water mark I may well be reached (620cm). Call it pre-flooding, proper official flooding is at a higher level, river traffic ban even higher and not anticipated. A flood warning is in place for some areas of the Neckar river valley for example. A standard occurrence in winter really.

 

A bigger problem that may affect tourists and will certainly affect a lot of train travellers is the closure of the railway line on the left bank of the Rhine. Deutsche Bahn and the authorities have banned traffic around Bacharach due to a land slide that is still ongoing. This means that likely due to the frost and subsequent thawing with rain, the slate rock face has come loose and stones are falling down. Currently this affects a railway yard and workshop areas but is in danger of extending to the main railway line. The road B9 had been closed as well earlier today and for safety reasons now will remain so. Here is the regional news article with video, all in German, but impressive is the recorded landslide: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/felssturz-bacharach-oberwesel-b9-bahnstrecke-gesperrt-100.html

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

Brief update: landslide and subsequent construction work mean that the left bank railway line in part of the Rhine Gorge will be closed at least till 1 January.

 

River: flood mark I was reached at Basel on 24 December, it peaked during that afternoon and has since gone done substantially again. The wave has moved on and has peaked at Maxau, currently passing through Mainz. At Kaub and Koblenz it will probably not even reach flood mark I so this sounds all good. It has been raining in heavy showers but not for long. Blustery winds with temperatures still well above zero Celsius in the valley during the day.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

As anticipated, neither the gauges at Kaub nor Koblenz reached flood mark I and the level at Cologne has now peaked also. Everything going okay. No further flooding suggested for the rest of the year and into the first two weeks of January. By that time all ships that are having a winter break (almost all in continental Europe) will be in winter harbours, that are Basel, Strasbourg, Cologne, Duisburg to name but a few big ones. I have spotted a couple of ships making their way to Cologne (I checked, they have arrived there in the meantime).

 

In other news, BASF chemical company is getting new special design ships that they will charter which means their logistics should run more smoothly in low water conditions. This is all in German but perhaps the photos and video give a good impression of the attention to detail that was necessary. One new thing is that the propellers are smaller that standard: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/ludwigshafen/niedrigwasserschiff-der-basf-100.html

 

Remagen Bridge has been in the news also as a new Rhine crossing there is in pre-planning stages. Sounds a greater deal than it is. I may get back to that topic some time.

 

Another new crossing between Bonn and Cologne is being debated.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

We are now back on high water, which is basically what is considered to be a level quite a bit above the mean water level. Flooding always sounds a bit dramatic but it is obviously a multi-faceted scenario, I mean a wide range of river level figures and in mild form is a normal occurrence every year with little impact save for subways and a few streets lining the river bank (and some unfortunate people with deep cellars in their houses, the consequences of which owners and long-term tenants are aware of and reckon with).

 

Flooding has official statistical values divided into occurrence like once every year, every two years, every five years, etc. It is mapped, highly monitored and posted online, announced where applicable, etc. in 15 minute updates so that everyone who works with the river or lives along it can plan accordingly.

 

But what this looks like on paper will be clearer when I post a monthly report of what the Kaub gauge looked like in December. Still a few days to go.

 

As I have kind of hinted at, a few river cruise ships sail beyond New Year's Day but by 10 January virtually all itineraries are over. Viva Cruises was the first company to offer specific long river cruises in winter in Western Europe, i.e. actually not having a winter break, they have proven popular according to the company so will happen again in January and February 2023. Both CroisiEurope and Thurgau Travel (Swiss company) have a few themed cruises in February for Carnival.

 

So if January is the only time when you are free to have a river cruise and do not fancy the Nile, rejoice, you now have the choice and can go to Germany instead. I actually like this following itinerary. Beer! Return trip Düsseldorf through Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands: https://www.viva-*****/en/cruisedetail?id=392&adults=2

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Here is a last look at the river levels at Kaub. December went like this:

The month started with pleasant levels but went down to around 100cm by 15 December. Fortunately it was not low enough to cause problems and wet weather that followed brought the level up again. Shortly before Christmas due to a rise in temperatures, snow melt with rain made the river rise fast. As this event started from a relative low it did not lead to flooding.

 

On 12/28/2022 at 3:21 PM, notamermaid said:

Flooding has official statistical values divided into occurrence like once every year, every two years, every five years, etc. It is mapped, highly monitored and posted online, announced where applicable, etc. in 15 minute updates so that everyone who works with the river or lives along it can plan accordingly.

 

But what this looks like on paper will be clearer when I post a monthly report of what the Kaub gauge looked like in December.

At Kaub the level did not reach M_I (flood mark I). At Maxau further upstream where the rise was even more pronounced, the flood mark I was reached, luckily the relative low beforehand kept the river from causing problems other than a short time of slowed traffic for safety reasons. This was Maxau:

 

This concludes 2022. The Rhine being "my" river I may stick around here for a bit but the trips and info that I have not got round to posting I will now carry over into 2023.

 

Thank you all for contributing to this thread in 2022.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

A few random thoughts...

 

While 2021 already saw many ships back on the river, only 2022 brought a full return to operations (almost I think, I am not sure if all ships actually left the winter harbours, demand was not fully there in the first half of 2022). Koblenz saw 90 percent of dockings compared to 2019, according to the tourism board there. I was happy to see my river so busy again. And a few new names or renamings appeared, too. The Viva One is now a regular spotting, doing so many short trips up and down the Rhine. The number of Viking ships I saw was staggering, I had all but forgotten how many there are. 2023 will see more ships from various companies entering the market. Spring will see the Viva Two being christened in Düsseldorf. A-Rosa is supposed to get a new ship. Talking of which, the Sena was an exciting newcomer to the industry and attracted much attention. With her size she can only sail on the lower Rhine so I will never spot her in my realm. I enjoy seeing every ship, but have a particular liking for the MS Grace and the MS Edelweiss. The latter has an alpine theme in the decor which I think I will not feel that comfortable with for a week. Indoors I prefer the splendour of the S.S. Antoinette and the MS River Queen is a delight all around.

 

As a new regular port we have been able to welcome Wesel in the itinerary calendar finally. Viking established it and the regional paper announced that Wesel will see another regular stop in 2023. Not sure what they mean, perhaps another itinerary by Viking or the itinerary of a German company that I found by chance? I have been a bit disappointed with itinerary variety this year - again. But there have been a few developments, Koblenz being the embarkation port for a few cruises by Viva Cruises for example. And the slightly different itineraries by Tauck with their exclusive excursions continue to please me.

 

Viking being the busiest fellas on my river have added another landing stage at Koblenz. I am not sure if I am so happy about that.

 

The longships and other long ships ran into problems again. Low water became a problem in the unusual month of August. Which makes me wonder if we will see a company add a 110m ship in 2023. I have not looked yet.

 

Low water - the river will continue to keep us guessing what will happen in the Rhine Gorge at Kaub. The engineers have been busy in the background studying the effects of the planned alterations to the river bed and have been consulting with the public as well this year. Things will improve in the future but expect them to be busy with computers and diggers or dredgers for a few more years.

 

In the meantime we will plan and then take it as it comes.

 

2023 has come and you may be busy planning a cruise on my river - or not. I have nothing planned, but perhaps one fine summer day this year you will see a woman waving madly from an excursion boat as you pass on your large river cruise ship. That will most likely be me.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Notamermaid we’ve had reports of very little snow in Europe so far do you think this will or could impact on the river levels this year?

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Notamermaid we’ve had reports of very little snow in Europe so far do you think this will or could impact on the river levels this year?

Yes. Snow and the subsequent snow melt directly influence how the river behaves in Spring. Rain of course, too, but in a different way. What happens upstream from and directly at Lake Constance gives the Federal Institute of Hydrology an idea of what this year will bring. Lake Constance is the natural reservoir of the Rhine and keeps the level up but snow in the Alps is crucial for refilling the Lake so that the Upper and especially Middle and Low Rhine have to rely less on rainfall in summer and autumn.

 

The authority monitors this but details will not be available now. The fine tuning of the rivers levels if you like is done by the weather patterns later in the year so a low water table is not good but whether that leads to proper low water problems or not cannot be deduced from it, it makes the risk greater though.

 

Have not looked at details yet but overall we have had not much precipitation recently my feeling tells me. It is drizzly here and more rain is forecast so river levels will go up. Not enough for winter flooding. Which again does not mean much as downpours can cause mild flooding later in the month or in February. Lake Constance looks a little on the low side in the figures so I do not anticipate much flooding. A couple of modelling scenarios by the institutes computers say otherwise so it will stay interesting. We have gone into the New Year with storms and warm weather rather than freezing temperatures.

 

notamermaid