Rhine water levels today: Basel to the North Sea
Stage at 36 Rhine gauges from Basel to the Dutch border, each set against its official low-water mark and against every late-October reading at that gauge since 2000. Kaub, on the shallow Middle Rhine, is the gauge that sets loading limits for Rhine freight.
Every Rhine gauge, colored by its own marks
- below low-water reference
- low
- normal
- high
- above HSW — navigation halted
18 of 18 Rhine gauges with a GlW mark are below it today. Below GlW, the fairway depth WSV maintains is no longer guaranteed; carriers start cutting loads and adding surcharges much earlier, from about 150 cm at Kaub. What Kaub levels mean for barges and cruises.
Gauge by gauge, upstream to downstream
| Gauge | Rhine km | Level (cm) | Vs. 7 days | Vs. GlW | Typical late-October, 2000–2025 | Lowest late-October since 2000 | WSV forecast low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konstanz-Rhein | 0.5 | 235 | +4 | — | — | — | — |
| Basel-Rheinhalle (CH) | 164.3 | 485 | +2 | -16 | — | — | — |
| Rheinweiler | 186.2 | 198 | +1 | — | 172 to 210 | 162 (2000) | — |
| Breisach | 227.6 | 181 | 0 | — | 194 to 228 | 164 (2009) | — |
| Rust | 254.2 | 78 | +1 | — | 71 to 89 | 62 (2015) | — |
| Ottenheim | 270.6 | 299 | 0 | — | 297 to 302 | 289 (2021) | — |
| Kehl-Kronenhof | 292.2 | 192 | +2 | — | 191 to 259 | 152 (2018) | — |
| Iffezheim | 336.2 | 58 | -8 | — | 123 to 294 | 48 (2018) | — |
| Plittersdorf | 340.2 | 225 | +5 | — | 286 to 460 | 214 (2018) | — |
| Maxau | 362.3 | 298 | +2 | -74 | 371 to 551 | 308 (2018) | — |
| Philippsburg | 389.3 | 205 | -4 | — | 269 to 448 | 208 (2018) | — |
| Speyer | 400.6 | 167 | -3 | -70 | 235 to 415 | 161 (2018) | — |
| Mannheim | 424.7 | 85 | +2 | -70 | 146 to 330 | 84 (2018) | — |
| Worms | 443.4 | 4 | +4 | -64 | 64 to 241 | 2 (2018) | — |
| Nierstein-Oppenheim | 480.6 | 78 | +12 | — | 130 to 302 | 70 (2018) | — |
| Bodenheim | 489 | 161 | +15 | — | 202 to 365 | 147 (2018) | — |
| Mainz | 498.3 | 138 | +18 | -33 | 175 to 324 | 120 (2018) | — |
| Oestrich | 518.1 | 55 | +12 | -37 | 92 to 211 | 48 (2018) | 37 by Nov 3 |
| Bingen | 528.4 | 60 | +14 | -37 | 101 to 219 | 44 (2018) | — |
| Kaub | 546.2 | 37 | +13 | -40 | 81 to 242 | 25 (2018) | 16 by Nov 3 |
| Sankt Goar | 556.4 | 126 | +15 | — | 172 to 351 | 108 (2018) | — |
| Boppard | 570.5 | 53 | +18 | — | 99 to 282 | 31 (2018) | — |
| Braubach | 580 | 78 | +16 | — | 120 to 298 | 59 (2018) | — |
| Koblenz | 591.5 | 44 | +13 | -33 | 85 to 274 | 18 (2018) | 21 by Nov 3 |
| Neuwied Stadt | 608 | 20 | +24 | — | — | — | — |
| Andernach | 613.8 | 58 | +27 | -33 | 102 to 338 | 24 (2018) | — |
| Oberwinter | 638.2 | 43 | +31 | — | 76 to 292 | 6 (2018) | — |
| Bonn | 654.8 | 113 | +29 | -29 | 144 to 360 | 79 (2018) | — |
| Köln | 688 | 105 | +40 | -34 | 141 to 369 | 67 (2018) | 73 by Nov 3 |
| Düsseldorf | 744.2 | 64 | +52 | -27 | 99 to 325 | 21 (2018) | 31 by Nov 3 |
| Duisburg-Ruhrort | 780.8 | 203 | +54 | -24 | 233 to 465 | 151 (2018) | 163 by Nov 3 |
| Wesel | 814 | 145 | +62 | -29 | 177 to 417 | 93 (2018) | — |
| Rees | 837.4 | 92 | +64 | -26 | 126 to 356 | 40 (2018) | — |
| Emmerich | 851.9 | 53 | +59 | -21 | 81 to 300 | 4 (2018) | 17 by Nov 3 |
| Lobith (NL) | 862 | 702 | +73 | — | — | — | — |
| Pannerdense Kop (NL) | 867.3 | 669 | +71 | — | — | — | — |
"Typical" is the middle 80% of daily average levels within a week either side of today's date in every year from 2000; "lowest" is the lowest reading in that same window. Both come from WSV's unchecked 15-minute archive, which starts January 1, 2000. A red value is below that season low. WSV forecasts cover the next few days at the seven Rhine gauges that have one.
Why Kaub matters more than the others
The Rhine's shallowest stretch for shipping is the free-flowing Middle Rhine between Bingen and Koblenz, and Kaub is its reference gauge. Barges heading upstream to Mainz, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Basel have to pass it, so when Kaub falls, loads drop and freight costs rise along the whole upper river. Downstream gauges such as Cologne and Düsseldorf matter for the lower Rhine and the ports at Duisburg. Kaub in detail.
Data: PEGELONLINE, Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (WSV), license DL-DE Zero 2.0, including the Swiss gauge at Basel and the Dutch gauges at Lobith and Pannerdense Kop. Readings as of 2026-10-30, refreshed nightly. Other rivers: Danube · all European gauges.