Every morning
The morning note
Each morning we read the official gauges on the Rhine, Danube, Elbe and Seine, pull the rainfall over the catchments that feed them, and rebuild the forecast. This is the short written version of what changed and what it means if you have a river cruise booked.
Sun, August 30, 2026
Rhine drops below the low water mark at Maxau
The Danube came up two centimeters at Pfelling overnight, and the chance of a sailing day this week going as planned improved to 47 percent from 39. The Rhine went the other way. Maxau slipped a single centimeter to 362, enough to put the Upper Rhine below the level where ships begin carrying less weight, with 31 percent of days this week expected to go as planned. Rhine water levels ease into autumn, with October at 34 percent and November at 53.
For your own sailing dates, the cruise checker scores the exact window day by day.