The water level on the Rhine remained very low on Friday 19 August. In Cologne, the level was measured at 75 centimeters in the morning – a slight increase of one centimeter within 24 hours, but still only six centimeters more than the historic Rhine low in 2018. In Düsseldorf, the level went down compared to the previous day (5:00 a.m ) by two to 31 centimeters back. Here the lowest value of 2018 is 23 centimeters.
Duisburg also reported less water in the Rhine: The water level fell by three to 152 centimeters in the morning and thus again below the previous low of 153. In Emmerich there was a slight increase of one centimetre. The water level was still negative at minus two centimetres. This means that no more water flows into the water measuring tube on the river at the level of the calculated zero level because the Rhine is lower.
For the night of Saturday, the German Weather Service expects showers and some thunderstorms. However, the Waterways and Shipping Office does not expect a sustained improvement in water levels, as the authority announced on Thursday. The water levels should rise by about 50 centimeters by the end of next week. After the passage of a wave coming from the Upper Rhine, the office estimates that the water levels can be expected to drop again.
The water levels are not to be confused with the lowest point in the river. The fairways for commercial shipping are significantly deeper than the water level according to the gauge. This only shows the difference between the water surface and the so-called zero level, which is not at the deepest point of the river bed. Negative level values can be recorded with a second data collector, even if the main level meter runs dry at extremely low water levels, i.e. is dry and therefore no longer displays anything.
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