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Launceston water level

River gauge, River Kensey, Cornwall, United Kingdom

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Right now

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.12m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 2 Highest onrecord 1.88 m Lowest on record 0.06 m

History

History
0.10.20.3mOct 10Oct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Bottom of normal range0.10.20.3mOct 10Oct 13Oct 17Bottom of normal range
0.10.20.3mSep 17Sep 24Oct 2Oct 9Oct 17Bottom of normal range0.10.20.3mSep 17Oct 2Oct 17Bottom 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

The River Kensey at Launceston is running far below normal at 0.12 m.

The median for mid-October is 0.23 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 0.17 m, a difference of −0.05 m. The lowest reading on record is 0.06 m (October 5, 2002).

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 0.11 m and 0.21 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
0.23 m0.11 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.16 m – 0.38 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.12 m – 0.96 m
Same day last year
0.17 m−0.05 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.11 m – 0.21 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.09 m – 0.96 m
Highest on record
1.88 mNovember 17, 2010
Lowest on record
0.06 mOctober 5, 2002

Fishing and paddling

At low levels, many rivers become a walk-and-paddle trip. Fish hold in deeper pools and spook easily.

Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 2.0 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 14° 6° – Wind 13 km/h
18 Sun 12° 4° – Wind 12 km/h
19 Mon 11° 6° 2.1 mm, 39% Wind 14 km/h
20 Tue 13° 6° 1.8 mm, 35% Wind 10 km/h
21 Wed 11° 8° 4.6 mm, 69% Wind 43 km/h
22 Thu 13° 8° 2.9 mm, 67% Wind 19 km/h
23 Fri 13° 9° 20 mm, 83% Wind 40 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:44 AM Sunset 06:23 PM Daylight 10 hr, 40 min First quarter 38%

Map

Other gauges on the River Kensey

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
TruscottRiver gauge, River Kensey 0.43 m Low −0.02 m 3.2 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
WerringtonRiver gauge, River Ottery 0.12 m Very low +0.01 m 1.6 km
Polson BridgeRiver gauge, River Tamar 0.39 m Low +0.10 m 2.3 km
Lifton ParkRiver gauge, River Lyd 0.52 m Normal −0.01 m 5.9 km
Greystone BridgeRiver gauge, River Tamar 0.20 m Normal +0.05 m 6.1 km
TinhayRiver gauge, River Thrushel 0.32 m Normal +0.01 m 6.8 km
BealsmillRiver gauge, River Inny 0.40 m Low +0.01 m 8.5 km
Hayne BridgeRiver gauge, River Thrushel 0.15 m Normal −0.01 m 8.7 km
BastreetRiver gauge, Withy Brook 0.12 m Very low −0.01 m 12 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Kensey at Launceston higher than last year?

No, it is 0.05 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.17 m.

What is a normal level for the River Kensey at Launceston in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.23 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.16 m and 0.38 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 0.12 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Launceston today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 06:30 BST, the water level was 0.12 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Launceston rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Launceston 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 Launceston?

The highest level on record is 1.88 m on November 17, 2010. The lowest is 0.06 m on October 5, 2002.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:47171 (Agency page)
Coordinates
50.64171, -4.36284 (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 0.12 m 2026-10-17 05:30 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Launceston (ea:47171). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/cornwall/launceston

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.