Lake Constance: the Untersee drops below its 1949 record low

At the Berlingen gauge on the Swiss shore of the Untersee, the water level dropped in early October 2026 below the previous record low, set in January 1949. The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), which runs the gauge, recorded just under 394.2 metres above sea level there in the first days of October. The Swiss daily NZZ and the German boating magazine BOOTE both report the new record.

On the morning of 13 October 2026, the joint water level report for Lake Constance, issued among others by the environment agency of Baden-Württemberg, showed 2.50 metres above gauge zero at Konstanz at 6 am, 2.54 metres at Bregenz in Austria and 2.02 metres at Radolfzell on the Untersee. The report describes the level as extremely low for the time of year.

No recovery is expected soon. The report forecasts a further fall over the coming weeks: precipitation in the high parts of the catchment will increasingly come down as snow, soils still absorb a lot of water after the summer, and the glaciers now contribute very little meltwater.

For owners, the gauge reading alone says little about the depth at their own entrance or berth. BOOTE advises asking the harbour master about the usable depth before every trip and remembering that propellers and drives need clearance from the bottom too. Anyone planning to haul out for winter should check early with their harbour or yard whether the crane or slipway can still be reached at the current level.