THE FREAKING MISSISSIPPI RIVER IS DRYING UP.

[DFW]

61. Over here, it's the same situation with the Rhein

Over in the Netherlands, it's not as critical as it is here, but from the vast refineries at Rotterdam, oil barges can't make it much farther south than Duisburg. That means that it has to be brought down here (Düsseldorf) and points south (Köln, the Hessian cities like Wiesbaden and Frankfurt, Strasbourg in eastern France and the northern tip of Switzerland at Basel) by truck, which is way more cumbersome and expensive.

Huge rain storms about a month ago made things better for a couple of weeks, but that was only a temporary relief. Temperatures here in the Rheinland are way above normal for the end of October. The norm is between 5° and 12° and daytime temperatures here haven't been below 20° (68°F) all week. This portends for disaster next spring, when the glacial melts down south in the Alps that feed the Rhein don't give up enough water to ensure a steady flow.