On 1 August 2026, the average daily discharge of the Rhine at Basel-Kleinhüningen was 459 m³/s, which is lower than 1 % of all daily averages recorded since 2020. The flow ranged from a minimum of 358 m³/s to a maximum of 547 m³/s. These values are notably low: the maximum discharge ranked 25th out of the last 30 days, and it was the lowest maximum flow ever recorded on an August day since 2020, placing it at the very bottom of the 187 August days in the dataset.

Over the past 30 days, the highest discharge was 1068 m³/s on 2 July 2026, while the lowest was 323 m³/s on 30 July 2026. The current low-flow episode is among the most severe on record for the summer months. Table 2 lists the months with the lowest flow conditions since 2020, and August 2026 now appears as the third-lowest monthly minimum, with a minimum average flow of 459 m³/s, only slightly above July 2026 (442 m³/s) and August 2022 (436 m³/s).

Low water levels on the Rhine have consequences that reach well beyond the river itself. Cargo vessels have to reduce their load to stay clear of the riverbed, so more trips are needed to move the same volume and transport costs rise sharply, with the effect passed on to industries that depend on the waterway for coal, oil products, chemicals and grain. The shallower water also heats up faster in summer. Warmer water encourages bacterial growth, which can produce noticeable odors, and it holds less dissolved oxygen. The combination of higher temperatures, lower oxygen and more concentrated pollutants degrades water quality and can lead to fish kills. Swimming is generally discouraged under these conditions because of the higher bacterial load. Further effects include restrictions on power plants and industrial sites that draw river water for cooling, since they may no longer discharge warmed water without exceeding temperature limits, reduced dilution of treated wastewater, pressure on water supply and irrigation in the surrounding area, and falling groundwater levels along the river that affect riparian vegetation and wells.