Rhine falls to record low levels as drought strains Europe’s rivers, putting Germany’s economy at risk

The Rhine, Danube and Po rivers in Germany have all fallen to historic lows as prolonged heatwaves continue across Europe, disrupting shipping, threatening power supplies and pushing saltwater into farmland

Record low water levels have been recorded on the Rhine, Danube and Po as prolonged heatwaves continue to strain Europe’s busiest waterways.

Europe’s major rivers do more than you’d expect – theyr’e industrial highways, cooling systems for power plants, and water sources for millions of hectares of farmland. So when they start drying up, the consequences can have a knock-on effect that snowballs across various regions and industries.

Last month, it was reported by Germany’s Low Water Information System that the Rhine hit its lowest recorded level at measuring points in both Cologne and Lobith, right where it crosses from the country into the Netherlands. The system reported that 44% of Rhine measuring stations and 78% of those on the Danube had recorded extremely low water levels by the end of July.

When cargo ships can’t sail

The Rhine is one of Europe’s busiest waterways and the chokepoint at Kaub near Koblenz is the key gauge for how heavily vessels can be loaded. Last week, the navigable depth there matched the 2018 record low of 25cm.

Martin Wolters of the Rhine Waterways and Shipping Authority told German outlet WDR that while shipping was unlikely to stop entirely, cargo would need spreading across more vessels to keep them light enough to pass.

Falling river levels have forced cargo operators to spread loads across more vessels, raising

Original Record.

This archived record authored by ‘Lee Bell’ at ‘METEORED (Your Weather)’ was recovered from data set:

https://www.yourweather.co.uk/news/science/the-rhine-has-hit-record-low-levels-as-drought-squeezes-europe-biggest-rivers.html