Rhine low water: Kaub gauge and shipping
At Kaub, the bottleneck for Rhine shipping, the gauge reads 21 cm (low) on 23/10/2026, 21:30 CEST. 7 of 7 key gauges are below mean low water. Updated 2026-10-23 · Source: PEGELONLINE
Key Rhine gauges
| km | Gauge | Water level | Status | Measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 362.327 | Maxau | 297 cm | low | 23/10, 21:30 |
| 498.27 | Mainz | 127 cm | low | 23/10, 21:30 |
| 546.23 | Kaub | 21 cm | low | 23/10, 21:30 |
| 688 | Köln | 66 cm | low | 23/10, 21:30 |
| 744.2 | Düsseldorf | 20 cm | low | 23/10, 21:30 |
| 780.8 | Duisburg-Ruhrort | 152 cm | low | 23/10, 21:30 |
| 851.9 | Emmerich | -2 cm | low | 23/10, 21:30 |
Kaub – last 7 days
Rainfall in the Rhine catchment
In 2026-09 Germany received 39.5 mm of rain, 61 % of the 1991–2020 mean.
| Region | 2026-07 | 2026-08 | 2026-09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 43.7 mm (50 %) | 60.5 mm (78 %) | 39.5 mm (61 %) |
| Baden-Württemberg | 39.8 mm (40 %) | 63.1 mm (72 %) | 18.9 mm (27 %) |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | 13.2 mm (18 %) | 54.4 mm (82 %) | 13.9 mm (23 %) |
| Hessen | 14.2 mm (18 %) | 59.7 mm (88 %) | 30 mm (50 %) |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | 20.2 mm (24 %) | 62.6 mm (76 %) | 44.1 mm (62 %) |
| Saarland | 13.1 mm (18 %) | 53.9 mm (76 %) | 3.5 mm (5 %) |
| Bavaria | 54 mm (50 %) | 80 mm (81 %) | 36.2 mm (48 %) |
Official shipping information
Notices to skippers (closures, channel depths) are published by the WSV on ELWIS. We do not republish them yet; please use the official site: www.elwis.de
FAQ
Why does Kaub matter for shipping?
Between Bingen and St. Goar the Middle Rhine channel is at its shallowest. Shipping companies use the Kaub gauge as the reference for how deeply vessels can be loaded; at low levels ships carry less cargo.
Is the gauge reading the water depth?
No. The reading refers to the gauge zero. The actual channel depth is greater and is published by the WSV.
Source: PEGELONLINE (WSV) (DL-DE Zero 2.0) · European Environment Agency – Bathing Water Directive (CC BY 4.0) · Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) Open Data (CC BY 4.0) · OpenStreetMap (ODbL 1.0) · Wikidata (CC0)