Water level in Germany's largest lake nearing historic low after dry winter

Water levels at Lake Constance are nearing a historic low point following a lack of rain and reduced snow meltwater coming from the Alps, reported public broadcaster ARD. While low water levels at this time of spring are not unusual, the extent this year was extreme, hydrologist Gabriel Fink from the environment state office of Baden-Württemberg (LUBW) told regional broadcaster SWR.

The water level in Germnay's largest lake is currently around 2.72 meters, which is the second-lowest ever measured in April. "The normal water level would now be about 36 centimetres higher, so more than three meters,” Fink told SWR. “We are now very close to a new record."

Lake Constance, which borders Germany, Austria and Switzerland, is around 60 kilometres long and fed by the Rhine River. Temperatures in the lake are rising, with harmful consequences for fish and plants living there, said researchers from the lake research institute in Langenargen at Baden-Württemberg's state environment office last summer.

Researchers have warned that grain harvests could be at risk this year in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, as an extremely dry winter failed to moisturise dried out soils from the previous summer. Last week, Germany's meteorological service said that the country is already experiencing serious consequences from climate change, with heat waves endangering vulnerable groups like the elderly, homeless people, young children, and pregnant women, especially in urban settings.

Climate change is causing Europe to warm faster than anywhere else in the world. While the bloc has made progress in adapting to the consequences of rising temperatures in the past few years, risks currently outpace response, according to a 2024 climate risk assessment by the European Environment Agency (EEA).