Preparations for “small wave”: Cologne Rhine level fixed at 4 meters
On Thursday morning, the Rhine level in Cologne exceeded four meters. At 9:30 a.m. the level was 4.06 meters. It has risen by more than two meters since Boxing Day – and a further rise in the water level is predicted for the days to come.
From 4.50 meters, the municipal drainage company (Steb) speak of a flood. According to current forecasts, this mark will be reached on Friday morning. The Steb will then take the first steps to protect the sewer network from Rhine water.
Rhine level rises by two to three centimeters per hour
“We then close the first slide below ground,” said a Steb spokeswoman. A water rise in January is quite common and routine processes are taking effect. Over the weekend, the “small wave” with a presumed high of five meters will be over again, the spokeswoman said.
The level is currently rising by two to three centimeters per hour. The level of the Moselle rises, but other Rhine tributaries show a stable or slightly progressive development.
The 10-day forecast for the water level of the Rhine in Cologne, however, continues to declare clearly upwards. For the days around January 6th and 7th, the high water mark I of 6.20 meters could be reached, forecast by the Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV).
Restrictions for navigation from 6.20 meters
This prediction is uncertain. The probability that the 6.20 meters will then be reached is given as 36 percent. From then on, the first restrictions would apply to shipping.
The reason for the rise in level is precipitation in the catchment area of the Rhine. Hardly any rain is predicted there over New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Eve, but from January 2nd the German Weather Service predicts precipitation over several days in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wuerttemberg, for example.