Rhine at Kaub: water level today
Kaub, at Rhine km 546 between Mainz and Koblenz, sits on the shallowest reach of the free-flowing Middle Rhine. Loaded barges bound for the industrial southwest have to pass it, so this one gauge sets loading limits — and low-water surcharges — for much of Rhine freight.
Last 30 days, with the official forecast
This is record-low territory: readings this month, down to -6 cm, are below the lowest low water in WSV's published statistics for the gauge (NNW, 25 cm).
What the number means
The reading is centimeters above Kaub's local gauge zero (67.669 m above sea level (NHN), set 2019-11-01) — it is not the depth of the river. Even at GlW, the maintained fairway is 1.90 m deep; what a low reading kills is the margin that lets a barge load fully. Shippers add low-water surcharges as the level falls toward GlW and lighten loads below it, which is why every Rhine freight story quotes this gauge.
Every official reference mark
| Mark | Level (cm) | Meaning | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| NNW | 25 | Lowest low water in the published gauge statistics | 18 below |
| MNW | 65 | Mean low water (average of yearly lows) | 58 below |
| GlW | 77 | Equivalent low water — the agreed low-water reference; below it, fairway depth is no longer guaranteed and barges sail partly loaded | 70 below |
| MW | 208 | Mean water level | 201 below |
| M I | 460 | High-water Mark I — speed and position restrictions apply | 453 below |
| MHW | 544 | Mean high water (average of yearly highs) | 537 below |
| M II | 640 | High-water Mark II — navigation is suspended | 633 below |
| HSW | 640 | Highest navigable water level — navigation ceases above it | 633 below |
| HW | 719 | Highest momentary water level in the published gauge statistics | 712 below |
| HHW | 825 | Highest high water in the published gauge statistics | 818 below |
Marks are WSV's published characteristic values for the Kaub gauge. GlW and HSW are the two that move markets: below GlW, fairway depth is no longer guaranteed; above HSW, navigation stops. Marks I and II are the high-water restriction levels.
Data: PEGELONLINE (WSV), license DL-DE Zero 2.0; 15-minute raw readings, archived hourly here nightly. Forecast: WSV's official water-level forecast series for Kaub. All Rhine, Moselle, Main and Danube gauges: river levels today.