The water level of the Elbe River in Dresden is not expected to fall below half a meter for the time being. Starting Thursday morning, the water level is forecast to reach 50 centimeters, where it will remain steady until around midnight. According to the State Flood Center’s forecast, the water level will then rise slightly again—reaching 52 centimeters by Saturday. On Tuesday, the forecast was still at 59 centimeters.
Levels are still far from historic lows
However, Dresden is still far from its all-time low water levels. The Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration has recorded the lowest levels to date in 1947 and 1952. At that time, a level of 21 centimeters was measured at the Dresden gauge in mid-August each year. In September 1950, the level was 34 centimeters, and in September 1953, it was 36 centimeters. Normally, the Elbe has an average level of 1.60 meters at the Dresden gauge. During the once-in-a-century flood of 2002, it reached 9.40 meters.
According to the federal agency, the preliminary lowest daily average level of the Elbe in Dresden on June 28 was 51 centimeters. Experts, however, consider the flow rate to be the more hydrologically significant measure. During the low-water period on August 12, 1947, it stood at 35.8 cubic meters per second at the Dresden gauge. By comparison, on Wednesday around noon, it was 83.6 cubic meters per second.
