**Prolonged drought and heatwaves across the Rhine basin have driven record-low water levels at critical gauges like Kaub, where readings recently hovered near 14 cm—close to historic lows and well below typical late-August depths—disrupting commercial shipping and forcing load reductions.** A slight uptick reported mid-August reflects limited recent precipitation, yet experts from the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration note that returning to normal seasonal levels would require weeks of sustained, widespread rain across upstream catchments in Germany, Switzerland, and the Alps. Weather models indicate variable short-term relief possible but a quick reversion to drier patterns, aligning with trader consensus favoring normalization before September 1 while assigning lower probabilities to later windows amid ongoing dry conditions.