Danube water levels in December

The current figure for December 2026 on the Danube is 43%: the chance a sailing goes ahead as planned, without low water interfering. In short, high risk. It comes from the live forecast, which updates each morning.

Affected rarely means canceled. On the Danube it means ship swaps or bus days on the shallow reach between Straubing and Vilshofen and through the Wachau valley.

In December winter takes the mountains: precipitation falls as snow and stays there, so the rivers run on rain alone through the Christmas market weeks, the busiest of the year.

The long record has December running as planned in about 17% of years, 9th calmest of the twelve months on the Danube. Book May or April for the calmest water; September and October are the months to check before you commit.

The last five Decembers, from the official record: 2025 13 low water days · 2024 clear · 2023 clear · 2022 13 low water days · 2021 3 low water days. Year to year it swings: 2025, 2022 and 2021 met low water in December, and 2024 and 2023 stayed clear.

To turn this into a date-specific answer, use the cruise checker. The wider picture is on the Danube page and in when to go.