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Roxton water level

River gauge, River Great Ouse, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.29m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 2 Highest onrecord 2.24 m Lowest on record 0.18 m

History

0.30.40.50.6mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 17Oct 18Bottom of normal range0.30.40.50.6mOct 16Oct 17Oct 18Bottom of normal range
0.51.0mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.51.0mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.51.0mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.51.0mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range

What this means

Low water at Roxton: the gauge reads 0.29 m, below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.06 m below the median of 0.35 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.30 m (−0.01 m).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.27 m – 0.29 m.

Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.

Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
0.35 m0.06 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.28 m – 0.60 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.27 m – 1.04 m
Same day last year
0.30 m−0.01 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.27 m – 0.29 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.24 m – 1.28 m
Highest on record
2.24 mApril 12, 1998
Lowest on record
0.18 mAugust 31, 1984

For anglers and canoeists

Low rivers are hard going for paddlers, with exposed gravel and weirs that are awkward to shoot. Salmon and sea trout usually wait for the next spate to run.

Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.

About the River Great Ouse

River Great Ouse

The River Great Ouse is a river in England, the fifth longest in the United Kingdom, and longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". It flows mostly north and east, from Syresham in Northamptonshire, through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, before draining into the Wash and the North Sea near Kings Lynn. Authorities disagree both on the river's source and its length, with one quoting 160 mi (260 km) and another 143 mi (230 km). The Great Ouse has been historically important for commercial navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows; its best-known tributary is the Cam, which runs through Cambridge. Its lower course passes through drained wetlands and fens and has been extensively modified, or channelised, to relieve flooding, stabilise its path, and provide a better route for barge traffic.

Read more on Wikipedia

Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 4.1 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 13° 8° 2.3 mm, 85% Wind 22 km/h
19 Mon 14° 9° 6.8 mm, 98% Wind 16 km/h
20 Tue 13° 11° 10 mm, 57% Wind 14 km/h
21 Wed 14° 8° 3.3 mm, 53% Wind 19 km/h
22 Thu 14° 6° – Wind 18 km/h
23 Fri 10° 7° 30 mm, 65% Wind 34 km/h
24 Sat 10° 4° – Wind 27 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:03 PM Daylight 10 hr, 31 min First quarter 46%

Map

Other gauges on the River Great Ouse

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Eaton SoconRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.04 m Normal ±0 5.5 km
Castle MillRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.13 m Very low +0.01 m 7.0 km
St NeotsRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.88 m Normal +0.02 m 9.1 km
CardingtonRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 1.24 m Low +0.01 m 9.3 km
BedfordRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.28 m Normal +0.01 m 11 km
OffordRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.47 m Normal +0.05 m 14 km
BromhamRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 29.00 m Normal +0.02 m 15 km
SharnbrookRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.19 m Normal +0.01 m 16 km
Brampton SluiceRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.16 m Normal +0.04 m 18 km
GodmanchesterRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.43 m Normal +0.03 m 19 km
TurveyRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.29 m Normal ±0 22 km
HoughtonRiver gauge, River Great Ouse 0.30 m Normal +0.02 m 22 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
BlunhamRiver gauge, River Ivel 0.20 m Very low −0.01 m 2.5 km
BiggleswadeRiver gauge, River Ivel 0.14 m Normal −0.01 m 9.4 km
Hail WestonRiver gauge, River Kym 0.02 m Low ±0 9.8 km
SheffordRiver gauge, River Flit 0.20 m Very low −0.03 m 14 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Great Ouse at Roxton compare with last year?

It is 0.01 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.30 m.

What is a normal level for the River Great Ouse at Roxton in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.35 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.28 m and 0.60 m, based on 21 years of records.

Is the river level the same as the depth of the water?

No. The reading is measured from a fixed zero mark at the gauge, so 0.29 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Roxton today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 04:15 BST, the water level was 0.29 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Roxton rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Roxton normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Roxton?

The highest level on record is 2.24 m on April 12, 1998. The lowest is 0.18 m on August 31, 1984.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:E21657 (Agency page)
Coordinates
52.16620, -0.30930 (WGS84)
Vertical datum
station datum
Update interval
every 15 minutes
Licence
Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Environment Agency data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0

Published series

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 0.29 m 2026-10-18 03:15 Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

How to cite

Environment Agency: Roxton (ea:E21657). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/bedfordshire/roxton

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer