Overview
- The hydrological year that ended on October 31, 2026 forced many gauges to reset their NNQ, the lowest-ever observed discharge, after record-low flows were measured across nine major catchments.
- A peak share of measured discharges reached about 35 percent in the very- or extremely-low categories in late summer, with roughly 54 percent of Rhine flows and 87 percent of Danube flows classified as very or extremely low.
- Scientists link the low flows to higher temperatures that speed evaporation and shift meltwater from summer into spring, while century-long river straightening and bank works speed runoff and can lower nearby groundwater.
- The drought reduced Rhine freight capacity and halted traffic on some stretches, pushed Austrian hydropower output down by more than 40 percent at times, and stressed agriculture, soils and river ecosystems.
- Recovery depends on long, widespread 'landrain' and faces short-term risk from a possible El Niño warm winter with little snow; experts recommend quick operational steps like closing winter drains plus long-term measures such as moor rewetting, floodplain renaturation and deep cuts in emissions.