Rhine water levels in November

November 2026 currently carries a 47% chance of low water trouble on the Rhine at its shallowest stretch: high risk. It comes from the live forecast, which updates each morning.

November usually brings the autumn rain that refills the rivers, and most years recover through the month. A late autumn can leave the first weeks lean.

Across thirty years of records, November brought low water to the Rhine in about 47% of years, 8th calmest of the twelve months. The calmest months here are June and May; the most exposed are August and September.

The last five Novembers, from the official record: 2025 clear · 2024 13 low water days · 2023 clear · 2022 clear · 2021 21 low water days. Of the last five, 2024 and 2021 hit low water; 2025, 2023 and 2022 sailed clear.

Affected rarely means canceled. On the Rhine it usually means a ship swap, a rerouted day, or a stretch covered by bus, almost always at the gorge between Rüdesheim and Koblenz. That shallow reach decides every Amsterdam to Basel itinerary.

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