Dernford water level
River gauge, River Cam, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
At 0.08 m, the River Cam at Dernford is below normal for mid-October.
That puts it 0.02 m below the median of 0.10 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.08 m as well.
The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.07 m and 0.09 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
- 0.10 m0.02 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.08 m – 0.16 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.13 m – 0.40 m
- Same day last year
- 0.08 m0.00 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.07 m – 0.09 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.07 m – 0.55 m
- Highest on record
- 1.04 mJanuary 30, 1988
- Lowest on record
- 0.04 mAugust 25, 1997
On the river at Dernford
Low, clear water makes fish wary, and anglers often do better early and late in the day. For canoeists, shallow riffles mean scraped hulls and the odd portage.
Flood warnings for the area come from the Environment Agency.
About the River Cam
The River Cam is a chalk river and the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to the sea is about 40 mi (64 km) and is navigable for punts, small boats, and rowing craft. The Great Ouse also connects to England's canal system via the Middle Level Navigations and the River Nene. In total, the Cam runs for around 69 kilometres (43 mi) from its furthest source to its confluence with the Great Ouse.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 3.8 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 Cam
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Jesus LockRiver gauge, River Cam | 0.72 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 8.8 km |
| Great ChesterfordRiver gauge, River Cam | 0.12 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 8.8 km |
| Cambridge Baits BiteRiver gauge, River Cam | 0.21 m | Low | +0.03 m | 12 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StaplefordRiver gauge, River Granta | 0.03 m | Very low | ±0 | 0.9 km |
| BabrahamRiver gauge, River Granta | 0.05 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 4.3 km |
| Cambridge Byron's PoolRiver gauge, River Rhee | 0.46 m | Low | ±0 | 5.0 km |
| Haslingfield Burnt MillRiver gauge, River Rhee | 0.08 m | Low | ±0 | 5.4 km |
| Bin BrookRiver gauge | 0.18 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 7.9 km |
| CombertonRiver gauge, Bourn Brook | 0.11 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 9.5 km |
| LintonRiver gauge, River Granta | 0.06 m | Normal | +0.04 m | 11 km |
| WhaddonRiver gauge, Whaddon Brook | 0.43 m | High | +0.01 m | 11 km |
Questions and answers
How does the River Cam at Dernford compare with last year?
It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.08 m.
What is a normal level for the River Cam at Dernford in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.10 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.08 m and 0.16 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 0.08 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Dernford today?
On 19 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST, the water level was 0.08 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Dernford rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is the level of Dernford 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 Dernford?
The highest level on record is 1.04 m on January 30, 1988. The lowest is 0.04 m on August 25, 1997.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:E21737(Agency page)- Coordinates
52.13446, 0.14178(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 | 0.08 m | 2026-10-19 11:00 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Dernford (ea:E21737). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/cambridgeshire/dernford
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