The water level of the Rhine continues to rise. That was to be expected. But it will soon go down again.
Cologne / Mainz – After persistent rainfall in the past few days, the water level of the Rhine has risen further as expected. In Cologne it was 6.78 meters on Thursday morning, according to the Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe (StEB).
From 6.20 meters, initial restrictions apply to shipping traffic. Ships are then only allowed to travel at reduced speed and in the middle of the river. The StEB expect this “small flood wave” to peak on Thursday evening at 6.85 meters. From Friday onwards, the water level will likely drop again.
In Rhineland-Palatinate, the flood forecast center expects falling water levels from Friday. After a lot of rain recently, the water levels at the gauges on the Middle Rhine would only rise slowly on Thursday, said the authority in Mainz. “According to current forecasts, the highs will be reached in the course of the evening,” the experts explained on Thursday. dpa
