Weeks of extremely dry weather over Europe, combined with lack of snowmelt in the Alps are starting to have an impact.

The water level of Lake Constance, Germany's largest, is almost at the lowest it has been for 30 years, according to water measurement authorities in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg. 

And Germany's Rhine River, the most important and busiest inland waterway in Europe that originates in the Alps and flows through Lake Constance, is also measuring low water levels.

Transport ships on the Rhine are forced to sail with less cargo due to low water levels. This forces companies to use more trips and charge higher costs. 

"The water levels are low, and it is also rather atypical for spring that the dry phase lasts so long," Florian Krekel, spokesman for the Rhine Waterways and Shipping Authority, told Germany's DPA news agency. 

"With higher water levels, the ships could of course load more than they do at the moment. More ships naturally mean higher transportation costs," he added.

Last week, the Rhine's water level measured as low as 96 centimeters (38 inches). If it falls under 78 centimeters, big ships can only carry 30% of their cargo, according to a report from the German Weather Service (DWD).

Europe's shipping industry has regularly suffered from low water levels on the Rhine. In 2022, a prolonged drought that hampered shipping threatened European supply chains. Some researchers have called for projects to deepen the Rhine.

Germany waits for the rain 

Germany has yet to see rain in April, and in March, rainfall measured at 70% less than compared with previous years, making it one of the driest on record. Rainfall in February was also half the usual amount. 

The consequences of persistent dry weather range from forest fires, crop losses, to dwindling animal populations.

"Already now in spring, it is much too dry in many parts of Germany this year, we are missing the rain and the snowmelt from the Alps. Agriculture and forestry, but also all of us, are clearly feeling the effects of the climate crisis," Environment Minister Steffi Lemke wrote on social media. 

Lemke has called for better water management and the restoration of ecosystems.