Karlsruhe (dpa / lsw) – There is low water in numerous small and medium-sized bodies of water in Baden-Württemberg. According to the Baden-Württemberg State Institute for the Environment (LUBW), around 60 percent of the gauges in the southwest are below the lowest water level in an average year. The western half of the country is particularly affected. And that very early in the year: According to the experts, low water usually develops towards the end of summer. In some places, river and stream beds have even dried up.
The reason: From January to June, only around 80 percent of the precipitation that is usual in the long-term average for this period fell in Baden-Württemberg, as the LUBW in Karlsruhe explained. In addition, it was warmer than average. “July has also been too dry and too warm so far,” says the flood forecasting center in Baden-Württemberg, for which LUBW is responsible.
In Lake Constance, the High and Upper Rhine, the water levels are also significantly lower than usual for the time of year. However, according to the information provided, no characteristic values for mean low water have been undershot. “The snowmelt in the Alpine catchment area of Lake Constance and the Rhine has already come to an end very early this year, so that the water level in Lake Constance and the discharge from the Rhine will hardly increase,” explained the LUBW experts. “The summer glacier melt, on the other hand, continues to contribute – albeit to a minor extent – to the runoff of Lake Constance and the Rhine.”
According to the German Weather Service, it will remain hot in the southwest in midsummer. On Thursday, the temperatures should easily break the 30-degree mark in some places. According to the forecast, it will be a bit cooler towards the weekend. Mostly loose cumulus clouds are supposed to move across the country, but rain is not really in sight. Because of the sunshine and the persistent drought, the meteorologists are again warning of dangers such as UV radiation and forest fires.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220713-99-02185/5
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