HydroStatus

Rhine at Cologne (Köln): water level today

Köln gauge, Rhine km 688, Germany.

Water level
105 cm
at gauge, October 30 at 4 PM UTC
Vs. 7 days ago
+40 cm
change over the last week
Vs. GlW low-water mark
−34 cm
GlW is 139 cm; below it the fairway depth is no longer guaranteed
Official forecast
73 cm
lowest forecast level through Nov 3

Last 30 days, with the official forecast

50 100 150 Oct 1Oct 7Oct 13Oct 19Oct 25Oct 31 GlW (139 cm) MNW (114 cm) late-October low since 2000 (2018) (67 cm)
Hourly water level at Köln over the last 30 days (solid) and the official forecast (dashed), in centimeters at the gauge. Horizontal lines are reference levels.

Compared with the same season since 2000

In late-October, Köln has typically read between 141 and 369 cm (the middle 80% of daily averages, 2000–2025). The lowest reading in that window was 67 cm in 2018, and the lowest at any time since 2000 was 40 cm on September 27, 2026. Today's 105 cm is below the typical range for the season.

From WSV's unchecked 15-minute archive, which starts January 1, 2000; the season window is a week either side of today's date in each year.

What the number means

The reading is centimeters above the gauge's local zero (35.038 m above sea level, set 2019-11-01), not the depth of the river. Each gauge has its own zero, so readings cannot be compared between gauges, and at low water readings below zero are normal at some of them. The GlW mark is the agreed low-water reference: below it, the fairway depth the waterway agency maintains is no longer guaranteed. Vessels usually start loading less well before that point.

Data: PEGELONLINE, Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (WSV), license DL-DE Zero 2.0; hourly values archived nightly. Forecast: the official forecast published through PEGELONLINE (WSV). All Rhine gauges: Rhine water levels today.