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Willowbank water level

River gauge, River Colne, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

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Right now

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.83m Down 0.01 m over the last 24 hours

0.8 1.0 1.3 Highest onrecord 1.29 m Lowest on record 0.87 m

History

History
0.81.01.2mOct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.81.01.2mOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.81.01.2mSep 18Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.81.01.2mSep 18Oct 3Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.81.01.2mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.81.01.2mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.80.91.0mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.80.91.0mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Willowbank: the gauge reads 0.83 m, far below normal for mid-October.

That is below the previous record low of 0.87 m (July 3, 2006), so the gauge is setting a new low. The median for mid-October is 0.94 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.11 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.90 m, a difference of −0.07 m.

It is still going down, by 0.01 m over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.77 m – 0.91 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
0.94 m0.11 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.89 m – 0.99 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.80 m – 1.20 m
Same day last year
0.90 m−0.07 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.77 m – 0.91 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.81 m – 1.05 m
Highest on record
1.29 mFebruary 9, 2014
Lowest on record
0.87 mJuly 3, 2006
Lowest on record
0.04 m below the lowest level on record

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 Colne

River Colne, Hertfordshire

The Colne is a river and a tributary of the River Thames in England. Just over half its course is in south Hertfordshire. Downstream, it forms the boundary between Buckinghamshire and the London Borough of Hillingdon. The confluence with the River Thames is on the Staines reach at Staines-upon-Thames.

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: 2.8 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 14° 7° 3.3 mm, 83% Wind 21 km/h
19 Mon 15° 9° 1.3 mm, 81% Wind 14 km/h
20 Tue 13° 11° 12 mm, 63% Wind 9 km/h
21 Wed 14° 8° 3.6 mm, 44% Wind 25 km/h
22 Thu 14° 6° 1.8 mm, 53% Wind 14 km/h
23 Fri 11° 7° 38 mm, 78% Wind 34 km/h
24 Sat 10° 4° – Wind 21 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:31 AM Sunset 06:04 PM Daylight 10 hr, 33 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the River Colne

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Denham ColneRiver gauge, River Colne 0.14 m Normal ±0 0.8 km
Iver, Clisbys BridgeRiver gauge, River Colne 0.35 m Normal −0.01 m 3.4 km
Farlows BridgeRiver gauge, River Colne 0.33 m Very low ±0 4.7 km
Thorney Mill Road, West Drayton (Temporary)River gauge, River Colne −0.01 m Lowest on record −0.01 m 6.5 km
West DraytonRiver gauge, River Colne 0.40 m Very low ±0 6.5 km
Moor LaneRiver gauge, River Colne 7.46 m Normal +0.01 m 8.9 km
Stanwell MillRiver gauge, River Colne 0.64 m High −0.01 m 10 km
Staines Trading EstateRiver gauge, River Colne 1.19 m Normal ±0 14 km
WatfordRiver gauge, River Colne 0.18 m Normal ±0 14 km
London ColneyRiver gauge, River Colne 1.09 m Normal ±0 22 km
Great YeldhamRiver gauge, River Colne 0.11 m Normal −0.01 m 88 km
Poole StreetRiver gauge, River Colne 0.07 m Normal ±0 88 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Denham LodgeRiver gauge, River Misbourne 0.06 m Low ±0 1.0 km
Uxbridge, Fountains MillRiver gauge, Frays River 0.61 m Very low ±0 1.1 km
Uxbridge, Hercies RoadRiver gauge, River Pinn 0.73 m Normal ±0 1.9 km
Ickenham, Swakeleys RoadRiver gauge, River Pinn 0.56 m Very low ±0 2.3 km
UxbridgeRiver gauge, River Pinn 0.03 m Very low ±0 3.0 km
Howletts Lane, RuislipRiver gauge, Cannon Brook 0.07 m Normal +0.01 m 4.2 km
Hillingdon, Gutteridge WoodRiver gauge, Yeading Brook 0.22 m Normal −0.01 m 4.6 km
RuislipRiver gauge, River Pinn 0.15 m Low ±0 4.7 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Colne at Willowbank higher than last year?

No, it is 0.07 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.90 m.

What is a normal level for the River Colne at Willowbank in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.94 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.89 m and 0.99 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 0.83 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Willowbank today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 20:30 BST, the water level was 0.83 m. Down 0.01 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Willowbank rising or falling?

Down 0.01 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.02 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Willowbank normal?

Very 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 Willowbank?

The highest level on record is 1.29 m on February 9, 2014. The lowest is 0.87 m on July 3, 2006.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:2880TH (Agency page)
Coordinates
51.55924, -0.48408 (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 0.83 m 2026-10-18 19:30 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Willowbank (ea:2880TH). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/buckinghamshire/willowbank

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.