The morning note · Monday, October 5, 2026

Rhine came up at Lobith on the Lower Rhine

Rain is heading for the Alpine headwaters above Basel and Chur, close to 35 millimeters this week, more than October normally brings. The Lower Rhine at Lobith came up overnight, though it is still below the level where ships have difficulty, and Rhine water levels this week carry a 1 percent chance of going as planned. The Danube dropped 4 centimeters at Pfelling, to 211. Low water usually means a ship loads lighter or swaps to a sister ship with a coach in between, and November on the Rhine reads 44 percent as planned.