Water Levels

The Rhine is one of Europe's most important commercial waterways, carrying goods between the North Sea ports and the industrial heartland of Germany and Switzerland. But the river's level fluctuates dramatically with the seasons — swollen by snowmelt in spring, sometimes dropping so low in summer droughts that fully loaded barges cannot pass.

This visualization profiles water level monitoring stations along the full length of the river, from its Alpine headwaters to its North Sea mouth. Storm surges can push levels up by several metres within hours at downstream stations; prolonged dry periods can reduce the river to a fraction of its normal volume upstream.

Source

Water level data: Pegel Online, Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (WSV).