Water levels in major rivers will rise again in early January

The water levels in the major rivers in the Netherlands will rise again in early January, but Rijkswaterstaat cannot yet predict how high the water level will become. The infrastructure agency said on Friday it depends on the amount of rainfall in the Rhine catchment area. The water level in the Maas River is also rising again due to rain in the Ardennes in Belgium.

Successive high water levels are mainly caused by the very wet autumn, said Rijkswaterstaat. The Rhine basin is soaking wet and saturated with water. As a result, rainwater has not absorbed into the ground, and all the water must be drained through the river.

This always causes rapid increases in water levels, according to the agency. The water level of the major rivers recently swelled around November 22 and December 17. The highest water level so far in Lobith, where the Rhine River enters the Netherlands, was reached on Thursday. This measured at 14.52 meters above NAP, the Amsterdam marker used as an average North Sea water level.

The water in the Rhine, Waal and IJssel rivers will slowly recede in the coming days, before rising again from January 3. Around January 8, the water could rise above the high points measured on Thursday, but Rijkswaterstaat still said the prospects are very uncertain.

The water level in the Maas has fallen since Christmas Day, and by January 3, rain water discharged by the river could reach levels observed at various points during the year.

But if it continues to rain heavily in the Ardennes, the water level may also rise a bit. The weather models for those days still vary widely, Rijkswaterstaat said.