Weather & Science
Rhine River Set for Critical Summer as Heat Bakes Europe
- Water level at key point at lowest seasonal level in 30 years
- High temperatures set to blanket Germany through the weekend
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Rhine River water levels are on track to fall to critically low levels again this summer, as extreme heat scorches parts of Europe, testing energy and transport networks.
The marker at Kaub — a key waypoint west of Frankfurt — is now at the lowest for the time of year in at least three decades, German federal data show. It’s potentially worse than last year, when a historic drought shriveled waterways across the continent and slowed the shipment of commodities including coal and diesel vital for industrial use.