River water levels by month
People book a river cruise a long way in advance and then want to know what the water is usually like in the month they sail. This page answers that with the record: what the level at each gauge has actually done through the year, across every year we hold.
Every figure here is the middle of measurements already taken. Half the years in the record ran lower than the middle and half ran higher, and a month's own lowest figure is the lowest the middle reaches inside that month, not the lowest level ever recorded. Nothing on this page is a forecast, and nothing on it says what this year will do.
Kaub — the Rhine
The middle of the record for 2015–2026. The lowest month is October, whose middle sits at 128 cm. The waterway authority's own published low-water reference for this station is 78 cm (GlW referenced to 2002 (BfG 2026, Anlage A, Table A-1)). Today's reading at Kaub.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 226 cm | 215 cm | 1 January | 231 cm | 7 January |
| February | 236 cm | 226 cm | 1 February | 248 cm | 14 February |
| March | 205 cm | 190 cm | 31 March | 226 cm | 5 March |
| April | 178 cm | 172 cm | 13 April | 194 cm | 30 April |
| May | 219 cm | 196 cm | 1 May | 223 cm | 30 May |
| June | 212 cm | 174 cm | 30 June | 222 cm | 4 June |
| July | 154 cm | 152 cm | 13 July | 172 cm | 1 July |
| August | 160 cm | 148 cm | 31 August | 169 cm | 12 August |
| September | 140 cm | 132 cm | 29 September | 147 cm | 3 September |
| October | 128 cm | 124 cm | 8 October | 132 cm | 1 October |
| November | 145 cm | 130 cm | 1 November | 164 cm | 30 November |
| December | 187 cm | 165 cm | 1 December | 207 cm | 31 December |
On-disk PEGELONLINE verified daily KAUB stage 2015-2026 (cm); blocks selected on the century Lobith reference then stage half-lives refit locally; 31-day circular median and DWD rhine proxy regression. Summer sensitivity fields are additive changes in the daily drift fraction k=1-phi per +1 soil-proxy SD and +1 mm antecedent precipitation anomaly.
Cologne — the Rhine
The middle of the record for 2015–2026. The lowest month is October, whose middle sits at 187 cm. The waterway authority's own published low-water reference for this station is 139 cm (GlW referenced to 2002 (BfG 2026, Anlage A, Table A-1)). Today's reading at Cologne.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 364 cm | 344 cm | 1 January | 376 cm | 8 January |
| February | 373 cm | 361 cm | 29 February | 394 cm | 14 February |
| March | 321 cm | 296 cm | 31 March | 361 cm | 1 March |
| April | 262 cm | 257 cm | 17 April | 294 cm | 1 April |
| May | 291 cm | 267 cm | 1 May | 297 cm | 28 May |
| June | 283 cm | 235 cm | 30 June | 292 cm | 1 June |
| July | 207 cm | 204 cm | 15 July | 227 cm | 1 July |
| August | 216 cm | 208 cm | 1 August | 229 cm | 13 August |
| September | 197 cm | 187 cm | 30 September | 207 cm | 1 September |
| October | 187 cm | 183 cm | 10 October | 195 cm | 31 October |
| November | 220 cm | 195 cm | 1 November | 264 cm | 30 November |
| December | 297 cm | 265 cm | 1 December | 342 cm | 31 December |
On-disk PEGELONLINE verified daily KOELN stage 2015-2026 (cm); blocks selected on the century Lobith reference then stage half-lives refit locally; 31-day circular median and DWD rhine proxy regression. Summer sensitivity fields are additive changes in the daily drift fraction k=1-phi per +1 soil-proxy SD and +1 mm antecedent precipitation anomaly.
Pfelling — the Danube
The middle of the record for 2015–2026. The lowest month is July, whose middle sits at 305 cm. The waterway authority's own published low-water reference for this station is 290 cm (RNW (regulated low water) per KWD 2020). Today's reading at Pfelling.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 384 cm | 372 cm | 1 January | 396 cm | 31 January |
| February | 412 cm | 398 cm | 1 February | 419 cm | 19 February |
| March | 386 cm | 375 cm | 30 March | 406 cm | 3 March |
| April | 364 cm | 359 cm | 26 April | 374 cm | 2 April |
| May | 370 cm | 360 cm | 1 May | 375 cm | 30 May |
| June | 362 cm | 317 cm | 30 June | 375 cm | 2 June |
| July | 305 cm | 302 cm | 19 July | 317 cm | 31 July |
| August | 319 cm | 311 cm | 31 August | 338 cm | 10 August |
| September | 308 cm | 304 cm | 8 September | 311 cm | 1 September |
| October | 307 cm | 305 cm | 11 October | 311 cm | 31 October |
| November | 323 cm | 311 cm | 1 November | 335 cm | 30 November |
| December | 344 cm | 336 cm | 1 December | 370 cm | 31 December |
On-disk PEGELONLINE verified daily PFELLING stage 2015-2026 (cm); blocks selected on the century Lobith reference then stage half-lives refit locally; 31-day circular median and DWD danube proxy regression. Summer sensitivity fields are additive changes in the daily drift fraction k=1-phi per +1 soil-proxy SD and +1 mm antecedent precipitation anomaly.
Hofkirchen — the Danube
The middle of the record for 2015–2026. The lowest month is October, whose middle sits at 232 cm. The waterway authority's own published low-water reference for this station is 207 cm (RNW (regulated low water) per KWD 2020). Today's reading at Hofkirchen.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 287 cm | 280 cm | 1 January | 298 cm | 31 January |
| February | 313 cm | 299 cm | 1 February | 319 cm | 19 February |
| March | 289 cm | 279 cm | 31 March | 309 cm | 2 March |
| April | 272 cm | 266 cm | 27 April | 278 cm | 1 April |
| May | 280 cm | 269 cm | 1 May | 289 cm | 31 May |
| June | 276 cm | 245 cm | 30 June | 290 cm | 2 June |
| July | 235 cm | 233 cm | 17 July | 246 cm | 31 July |
| August | 249 cm | 239 cm | 31 August | 258 cm | 10 August |
| September | 233 cm | 232 cm | 8 September | 238 cm | 1 September |
| October | 232 cm | 230 cm | 16 October | 234 cm | 5 October |
| November | 242 cm | 232 cm | 3 November | 248 cm | 30 November |
| December | 254 cm | 249 cm | 1 December | 276 cm | 31 December |
On-disk PEGELONLINE verified daily HOFKIRCHEN stage 2015-2026 (cm); blocks selected on the century Lobith reference then stage half-lives refit locally; 31-day circular median and DWD danube proxy regression. Summer sensitivity fields are additive changes in the daily drift fraction k=1-phi per +1 soil-proxy SD and +1 mm antecedent precipitation anomaly.
Dresden — the Elbe
The middle of the record for 2000–2026, 9,714 days of measurements. The lowest month is September, whose middle sits at 104 cm. No low-water reference is published for this gauge by anybody. Today's reading at Dresden.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 179 cm | 167 cm | 1 January | 198 cm | 31 January |
| February | 216 cm | 198 cm | 1 February | 224 cm | 29 February |
| March | 229 cm | 218 cm | 31 March | 235 cm | 13 March |
| April | 190 cm | 165 cm | 30 April | 217 cm | 2 April |
| May | 150 cm | 130 cm | 30 May | 163 cm | 1 May |
| June | 116 cm | 108 cm | 25 June | 129 cm | 1 June |
| July | 109 cm | 108 cm | 1 July | 111 cm | 27 July |
| August | 107 cm | 102 cm | 29 August | 109 cm | 3 August |
| September | 104 cm | 101 cm | 9 September | 121 cm | 30 September |
| October | 132 cm | 122 cm | 1 October | 137 cm | 31 October |
| November | 138 cm | 137 cm | 23 November | 141 cm | 13 November |
| December | 149 cm | 138 cm | 1 December | 165 cm | 31 December |
PEGELONLINE historische Zeitreihen (https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/gast/historische-zeitreihen/prepare-download), unchecked raw WSV stage for DRESDEN, 2000-01-02..2026-08-06 (27 calendar years, 9714 complete local-civil daily means in cm on the station datum); Datenlizenz Deutschland – Zero – Version 2.0 (https://www.govdata.de/dl-de/zero-2-0); retrieved 2026-08-07; raw ZIP SHA-256 0ad495cbc2ab0a72f72ce729166501bbf519d9e4712bc2fd179495e4d80120bb. Built with the 366-day fixed leap calendar and a circular +/-15-day pooled median. Terms: https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/gast/nutzungsbedingungen.
Schöna — the Elbe
The middle of the record for 2000–2026, 9,714 days of measurements. The lowest month is September, whose middle sits at 119 cm. No low-water reference is published for this gauge by anybody. Today's reading at Schöna.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 195 cm | 182 cm | 1 January | 216 cm | 31 January |
| February | 235 cm | 217 cm | 1 February | 242 cm | 29 February |
| March | 247 cm | 236 cm | 31 March | 251 cm | 13 March |
| April | 206 cm | 180 cm | 30 April | 235 cm | 1 April |
| May | 167 cm | 146 cm | 31 May | 179 cm | 1 May |
| June | 130 cm | 123 cm | 25 June | 145 cm | 2 June |
| July | 124 cm | 123 cm | 1 July | 126 cm | 27 July |
| August | 121 cm | 117 cm | 28 August | 124 cm | 2 August |
| September | 119 cm | 116 cm | 6 September | 137 cm | 30 September |
| October | 149 cm | 139 cm | 1 October | 152 cm | 31 October |
| November | 152 cm | 150 cm | 22 November | 155 cm | 13 November |
| December | 164 cm | 152 cm | 1 December | 180 cm | 31 December |
PEGELONLINE historische Zeitreihen (https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/gast/historische-zeitreihen/prepare-download), unchecked raw WSV stage for SCHOENA, 2000-01-02..2026-08-06 (27 calendar years, 9714 complete local-civil daily means in cm on the station datum); Datenlizenz Deutschland – Zero – Version 2.0 (https://www.govdata.de/dl-de/zero-2-0); retrieved 2026-08-07; raw ZIP SHA-256 d2c1ceacd642d84af75d0e4ed45d2a540333e64d6e64cd95eb3936b748e8fbf4. Built with the 366-day fixed leap calendar and a circular +/-15-day pooled median. Terms: https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/gast/nutzungsbedingungen.
Trier — the Moselle
The middle of the record for 2011–2026, 5,397 days of measurements. The lowest month is August, whose middle sits at 229 cm. No low-water reference is published for this gauge by anybody. Today's reading at Trier.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 378 cm | 374 cm | 31 January | 405 cm | 4 January |
| February | 374 cm | 342 cm | 29 February | 379 cm | 11 February |
| March | 313 cm | 290 cm | 31 March | 340 cm | 1 March |
| April | 266 cm | 260 cm | 29 April | 289 cm | 1 April |
| May | 252 cm | 244 cm | 31 May | 260 cm | 3 May |
| June | 238 cm | 233 cm | 25 June | 244 cm | 1 June |
| July | 231 cm | 230 cm | 15 July | 232 cm | 4 July |
| August | 229 cm | 228 cm | 23 August | 231 cm | 6 August |
| September | 230 cm | 228 cm | 1 September | 234 cm | 30 September |
| October | 243 cm | 235 cm | 1 October | 252 cm | 31 October |
| November | 266 cm | 252 cm | 1 November | 293 cm | 30 November |
| December | 338 cm | 295 cm | 1 December | 405 cm | 31 December |
PEGELONLINE historische Zeitreihen (https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/gast/historische-zeitreihen/prepare-download), unchecked raw WSV stage for TRIER, 2011-10-28..2026-08-06 (16 calendar years, 5397 complete local-civil daily means in cm on the station datum); Datenlizenz Deutschland – Zero – Version 2.0 (https://www.govdata.de/dl-de/zero-2-0); retrieved 2026-08-07; raw ZIP SHA-256 e28e34848daa81e1edfde0259118866e2e37da717f20da45904b1af84cc43795. Built with the 366-day fixed leap calendar and a circular +/-15-day pooled median. Terms: https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/gast/nutzungsbedingungen.
Cochem — the Moselle
The middle of the record for 2000–2026, 9,714 days of measurements. The lowest month is July, whose middle sits at 223 cm. No low-water reference is published for this gauge by anybody. Today's reading at Cochem.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 315 cm | 314 cm | 24 January | 325 cm | 9 January |
| February | 311 cm | 299 cm | 29 February | 315 cm | 6 February |
| March | 284 cm | 270 cm | 31 March | 298 cm | 1 March |
| April | 248 cm | 241 cm | 28 April | 268 cm | 1 April |
| May | 236 cm | 231 cm | 31 May | 240 cm | 3 May |
| June | 227 cm | 223 cm | 30 June | 231 cm | 2 June |
| July | 223 cm | 223 cm | 1 July | 223 cm | 31 July |
| August | 223 cm | 223 cm | 1 August | 223 cm | 31 August |
| September | 223 cm | 222 cm | 5 September | 223 cm | 30 September |
| October | 226 cm | 224 cm | 1 October | 233 cm | 31 October |
| November | 244 cm | 233 cm | 1 November | 261 cm | 30 November |
| December | 281 cm | 262 cm | 1 December | 315 cm | 31 December |
PEGELONLINE historische Zeitreihen (https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/gast/historische-zeitreihen/prepare-download), unchecked raw WSV stage for COCHEM, 2000-01-02..2026-08-06 (27 calendar years, 9714 complete local-civil daily means in cm on the station datum); Datenlizenz Deutschland – Zero – Version 2.0 (https://www.govdata.de/dl-de/zero-2-0); retrieved 2026-08-07; raw ZIP SHA-256 15a6a5ed6ec80eeba4898b147ec7fb27b59cec0d83ffa1fe7c8639221e5218da. Built with the 366-day fixed leap calendar and a circular +/-15-day pooled median. Terms: https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/gast/nutzungsbedingungen.
Budapest — the Danube
The middle of the record for 1991–2025, 12,784 days of measurements. The lowest month is October, whose middle sits at 173 cm. No low-water reference is published for this gauge by anybody. Today's reading at Budapest.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 202 cm | 199 cm | 19 January | 204 cm | 11 January |
| February | 216 cm | 201 cm | 1 February | 230 cm | 29 February |
| March | 261 cm | 233 cm | 1 March | 282 cm | 31 March |
| April | 284 cm | 281 cm | 11 April | 291 cm | 30 April |
| May | 309 cm | 293 cm | 1 May | 311 cm | 31 May |
| June | 296 cm | 274 cm | 30 June | 311 cm | 1 June |
| July | 257 cm | 246 cm | 30 July | 273 cm | 1 July |
| August | 220 cm | 208 cm | 31 August | 244 cm | 1 August |
| September | 201 cm | 190 cm | 30 September | 206 cm | 1 September |
| October | 173 cm | 163 cm | 30 October | 189 cm | 1 October |
| November | 173 cm | 163 cm | 1 November | 176 cm | 23 November |
| December | 176 cm | 172 cm | 5 December | 199 cm | 31 December |
Országos Vízügyi Főigazgatóság (OVF) / General Directorate of Water Management archived water-level data for station Budapest, 1991-01-01..2025-12-31 (35 calendar years, 12784 days, 149606 sub-daily observations), supplied under the written grant of 17 August 2026 (file 32885-0168/2026). Daily values are arithmetic means of each day's observations. Input data originate from the General Directorate of Water Management. 31-day circular median climatology on the leap day-of-year calendar, zero-intercept anomaly AR(1) with BIC seasonal segmentation, and residual bands measured by running waterlogged.projection.drift_layer.project forward from every 3rd origin. Ingested by tools/ingest_ovf_archive.py; fitted by tools/climate_lab/calibrate_hydroinfo_drift.py. See docs/ovf_grant_2026_08_17.md and docs/budapest_35yr_analysis.md.
Kienstock — the Danube
The middle of the record for 2002–2026, 8,957 days of measurements. The lowest month is December, whose middle sits at 213 cm. No low-water reference is published for this gauge by anybody. Today's reading at Kienstock.
| Month | Middle | Lowest | on | Highest | on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 229 cm | 225 cm | 1 January | 240 cm | 31 January |
| February | 250 cm | 242 cm | 1 February | 253 cm | 29 February |
| March | 266 cm | 253 cm | 1 March | 277 cm | 31 March |
| April | 286 cm | 277 cm | 1 April | 310 cm | 30 April |
| May | 337 cm | 313 cm | 1 May | 346 cm | 29 May |
| June | 333 cm | 313 cm | 30 June | 344 cm | 7 June |
| July | 297 cm | 293 cm | 19 July | 312 cm | 1 July |
| August | 280 cm | 268 cm | 31 August | 293 cm | 5 August |
| September | 258 cm | 244 cm | 30 September | 268 cm | 1 September |
| October | 229 cm | 220 cm | 31 October | 244 cm | 1 October |
| November | 220 cm | 215 cm | 29 November | 221 cm | 13 November |
| December | 213 cm | 211 cm | 9 December | 225 cm | 31 December |
hydroinfo.hu (Országos Vízjelző Szolgálat / OVF) annual morning water-level tables for station Kienstock, 2002-01-01..2026-08-02 (25 calendar years, 8957 days); 31-day circular median climatology on the leap day-of-year calendar, zero-intercept anomaly AR(1) with BIC seasonal segmentation, and residual bands measured by running waterlogged.projection.drift_layer.project forward from every 3rd origin. Acquired and archived by tools/climate_lab/download_hydroinfo.py; fitted by tools/climate_lab/calibrate_hydroinfo_drift.py. See docs/budapest_backfill.md.
Gauges with no month record here
We watch this gauge and publish its reading, but we hold no multi-year daily record for it, so there is no month-by-month middle to show.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your month will do. A record says what has happened, not what is about to; a dry September and a wet one are both inside these numbers, and the middle is simply the line with half of each on either side of it. For how far ahead anybody actually publishes a river level — and it is not as far as most people assume — read how far ahead river levels can be forecast.