The morning note · Friday, October 16, 2026

Rhine holds at low water after 2 cm rise at Maxau

The Rhine came up 2 centimeters at Maxau, to 301, and the Alpine headwaters should see 26 millimeters of rain over the next seven days, a shade above normal for mid-October. It is still low water there, with 7 percent of Rhine cruise days this week expected to go as planned, up from 5 percent yesterday. The Danube at Budapest rose too, to 1,287 cubic meters a second. When water levels are this low, ships load lighter or run passengers by coach around the shallow stretch to a sister ship.