The live level of the Vltava at the gauges upstream of town — Vyšší Brod and Zátoň — an early read on a flood pulse heading down the valley toward Český Krumlov.
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The Vltava reaches Český Krumlov from upstream, off the Lipno dam and out of the Šumava headwaters. These gauges sit above the town on the same river — Vyšší Brod about 43 km up, Zátoň about 20 km — so when a flood pulse is on its way, it shows here first. Distances are measured along the river.
Rising upstream
These gauges sit above the town on the same river, so they rise before the water reaches it. A rising reading here is an early sign of water on the way — not a flood forecast, and not the order they arrive in.
65 cm
Rising over the past few days. Measured 29 Jun, 16:00.
44 cm
Rising over the past few days. Measured 29 Jun, 16:00.
102 cm
Steady over the past few days. Measured 29 Jun, 15:50.
The official flood warning is at ČHMÚ a povodňová komise
These gauges describe the river. They are not a flood warning — the official flood degree for the town is set by ČHMÚ a povodňová komise.
ČHMÚ sets the flood degree (SPA) at the Český Krumlov gauge: 185 cm (1st — watchfulness), 200 cm (2nd — readiness) and 220 cm (3rd — danger). The town flood commission runs a 24-hour hotline, 380 766 333.
Heavy rain in the Šumava headwaters and water released from the Lipno reservoir both run down the Vltava toward the town. A rise that begins upstream under a clear local sky is the classic way the river catches Český Krumlov out.
When the Vltava rises, the low riverside areas — Plešivec, Vyšný and Nové Spolí — are the first to flood, before the water reaches the historic core inside the river bend.
The August 2002 flood was catastrophic for the town. The Vltava reached the highest (3rd) flood degree here again in January and September 2024 — a living risk, not history.
Readings are operational and unvalidated, and may be revised.