The level of the Danube is critically low! Boating will soon stop. The first one is already stuck on the shallows
The dryness also affects our river, which flows through Slovakia. The Danube currently has an extraordinary level, with the level dropping by more than 10 cm in the last 24 hours alone. Problems starting to have shipping.
Drought continues to plague Slovakia and Europe. After smaller rivers have dried up, large rivers also start to have problems, both in Europe and in Slovakia. The first restrictions on the Danube in just a few hours. The river level is dropping dangerously and the forecast shows that it will get even worse.
Smaller rivers dried up first, now larger ones are drying up as well
At the outset, it should be noted that August is always the driest month in Europe as far as statistics are concerned. The levels of even larger rivers reach their minimum, but this year the situation is exceptional and extreme. Not only in Europe, but also in Slovakia, rivers are also drying up, which rarely dry up.
Yesterday we informed you that the Bodva river and the Štiavnica river have dried up again. So far, the lack of precipitation has only affected smaller streams, but in our region it is starting to be a serious problem on larger rivers as well.
The current most critical situation is on the Rhine River in Germany. The Rhine is Germany’s most important waterway. Water levels at the Kaub between Mainz and Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate also dropped earlier in the week from 37 inches on Sunday to just 32 inches on Monday. Kaub is important as an important hub for inland shipping on the Upper Rhine.
In the next three to four days, I assume that the level of the Rhine will drop by another 5 to 10 cm. Attacked thus can be a historical minimum. So far, the lowest level was measured on October 22, 2018 at the level of 25 centimeters.
The problem is already becoming visible on the Danube, which is also a traffic artery. Cargo must be limited as the river level drops.
The level of the Danube is dangerously low
Very low water levels were recorded by hydrologists in almost the entire Danube basin from Germany to Romania. In many areas, the Danube is already lower than a safe height, which is also why there are restrictions on shipping. The worst situation is in Germany, Austria and Hungary, where shipping is limited or suspended in several places due to low water levels.
The level of the Danube in Devín reaches a height of only 100 cm and in Bratislava around 250 cm. In just the past 24 hours, the level of the Danube has dropped by up to 10 cm, and this is already becoming dangerous for shipping. Most boats have a draft of 230-250 cm, so the first restrictions start to apply. For now, there are limited cargo ships, but cabin ships and speedboats are also threatened to stop soon.
The first problems were already apparent on Sunday. The cruise ship Prešov, which operates between Bratislava and Devín, ran aground.
The weather does not indicate that the hydrological situation should improve. Today, the Danube is expected to drop further by 5 to 7 cm. The level of the Danube in Bratislava will thus drop below 250 cm. The situation will improve at the end of the week, when a cold front together with a pressure trough will bring heavy precipitation to the upper reaches of the Danube from Thursday.