Seine water levels in October

The current figure for October 2026 on the Seine is 1%: the chance a sailing runs into high water at the tightest bridges. In short, low risk. It comes from the live forecast, which updates each morning.

October begins refilling the Seine's slow, chalky catchment. It takes sustained autumn rain to threaten clearance, so early autumn is usually safe.

Across thirty years of records, October brought high water to the Seine in about 3% of years, 4th calmest of the twelve months. The calmest months here are July and August; the most exposed are March and February.

The last five Octobers, from the official record: 2025 clear · 2024 5 high water days · 2023 clear · 2022 clear · 2021 clear. Year to year it swings: 2024 met high water in October, and 2025, 2023, 2022 and 2021 stayed clear.

On the Seine the risk runs the other way: high water. Too little clearance under the Paris bridges pauses sailings and closes moorings. The river never dries out. It rises.

For your own dates, the cruise checker scores the exact window day by day. The Seine page carries the live gauges, and when to go compares all four rivers.