Lake Constance hits record low water level, boats stranded in mud

Lake Constance is shrinking at a record pace: at Konstanz in Germany the water level in recent days was only about 250 centimetres — roughly 90 centimetres below the long-term norm for this time of year. It is markedly lower than any previous October minimum in the measurement series, which goes back to 1850.

The scene in local harbours is unusual: instead of water, dried-out mud lies beneath the jetties, and several boats are stuck in it. Their owners can only wait for the water to rise again.

“I have never seen such an extreme situation,” Horn harbour master Jürgen Schulz told Reuters. According to him, some owners could not launch their boats at all this year, while others were forced to leave the harbour as early as summer.

Low water also complicates passenger shipping: because of the steep slope of the gangways, it is hard in some places to transport cyclists and people in wheelchairs.

The cause is a combination of several factors. Little snow fell in the Alps in winter, spring lacked heavy rainfall, and in summer heat waves and strong evaporation made things worse. Experts say that for the lake to recover noticeably, an unusually rainy autumn and winter are needed, along with heavy snowfall in the Alps. But the current weather forecast does not give much hope so far.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz