Blakes Lock water level
River gauge, River Kennet, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
Low water at Blakes Lock: the gauge reads 0.07 m, below normal for mid-October.
That puts it 0.06 m below the median of 0.13 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.05 m (+0.02 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 0.04 m – 0.10 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
- 0.13 m0.06 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.05 m – 0.18 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.00 m – 0.20 m
- Same day last year
- 0.05 m+0.02 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.04 m – 0.10 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- −0.01 m – 0.17 m
- Highest on record
- 0.80 mDecember 14, 2000
- Lowest on record
- −0.50 mSeptember 12, 1997
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 Kennet
The Kennet is a chalk river and a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which – together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Thames – links the cities of Bristol and London.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 2.2 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Other gauges on the River Kennet
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Calcot BridgeRiver gauge, River Kennet | 1.81 m | Low | −0.01 m | 7.0 km |
| NewburyRiver gauge, River Kennet | 1.00 m | Normal | ±0 | 26 km |
| Knighton SideRiver gauge, River Kennet | −0.16 m | Lowest on record | −0.01 m | 43 km |
| MarlboroughRiver gauge, River Kennet | 0.04 m | Low | ±0 | 54 km |
| Winterborne MonktonRiver gauge, River Kennet | −0.12 m | Normal | ±0 | 63 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caversham LockRiver gauge, River Thames | 0.13 m | Low | ±0 | 0.8 km |
| ReadingRiver gauge, River Thames | 6.69 m | Normal | ±0 | 1.1 km |
| Sonning LockRiver gauge, River Thames | 0.24 m | Very high | ±0 | 3.2 km |
| TwyfordRiver gauge, River Loddon | 0.99 m | Normal | +0.02 m | 6.0 km |
| Arborfield BridgeRiver gauge, River Loddon | 0.13 m | Very low | −0.02 m | 6.0 km |
| Mapledurham LockRiver gauge, River Thames | 0.07 m | Normal | ±0 | 6.8 km |
| Shiplake LockRiver gauge, River Thames | 0.04 m | Low | +0.01 m | 6.9 km |
| Sheepbridge Weir Mill StreamRiver gauge, River Loddon | 0.16 m | Low | −0.01 m | 8.3 km |
Questions and answers
How does the River Kennet at Blakes Lock compare with last year?
It is 0.02 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.05 m.
What is a normal level for the River Kennet at Blakes Lock in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.13 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.05 m and 0.18 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 0.07 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Blakes Lock today?
On 18 Oct 2026, 02:15 BST, the water level was 0.07 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Blakes Lock rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Blakes Lock 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 Blakes Lock?
The highest level on record is 0.80 m on December 14, 2000. The lowest is −0.50 m on September 12, 1997.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:2298TH(Agency page)- Coordinates
51.45617, -0.95461(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
| Parameter | Last value | Time (UTC) | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water level | 0.07 m | 2026-10-18 01:15 | Provisional |
Download
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Blakes Lock (ea:2298TH). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/berkshire/blakes-lock
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