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Wickford water level

River gauge, River Crouch, Essex, United Kingdom

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Right now

Very high for mid-October

Water level

0.37m Up 0.26 m over the last 24 hours

0 1 2 3 Highest onrecord 2.69 m Lowest on record 0.04 m

History

History
-0.00.20.4mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 18Oct 19Bottom of normal range-0.00.20.4mOct 16Oct 17Oct 19Bottom of normal range
-0.00.20.40.6mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Bottom of normal range-0.00.20.40.6mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Bottom of normal range
0.20.40.6mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.20.40.6mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

The River Crouch at Wickford is well above normal at 0.37 m.

That puts it 0.29 m above the median of 0.08 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.07 m (+0.31 m). The record high is 2.69 m, set on January 14, 2021.

It has risen 0.26 m over the past 24 hours. If the rise continues, low-lying paths and riverside parking can go under water. In the last month it has stayed between 0.11 m and 0.37 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
0.08 m0.29 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.06 m – 0.34 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.02 m – 1.67 m
Same day last year
0.07 m+0.31 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.11 m – 0.37 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.05 m – 0.52 m
Highest on record
2.69 mJanuary 14, 2021
Lowest on record
0.04 mSeptember 25, 2011

Flood levels and safety

A high reading on its own does not mean property is at risk. The warnings issued by the Environment Agency take local defences and the forecast into account.

Readings can change quickly after heavy rain upstream, so check again before heading near the water.

About the River Crouch

River Crouch

The River Crouch is a small river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex.

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

18 Sun 14° 8° 7.7 mm, 100% Wind 21 km/h
19 Mon 14° 9° 5.7 mm, 89% Wind 12 km/h
20 Tue 14° 11° 6.0 mm, 53% Wind 19 km/h
21 Wed 14° 8° 3.2 mm, 39% Wind 25 km/h
22 Thu 14° 6° 1.3 mm, 46% Wind 21 km/h
23 Fri 13° 7° 40 mm, 78% Wind 34 km/h
24 Sat 10° 4° – Wind 24 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:29 AM Sunset 05:58 PM Daylight 10 hr, 29 min First quarter 55%

Map

Other gauges on the River Crouch

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Noak BridgeRiver gauge, River Crouch −0.63 m No reference yet +0.10 m 6.8 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
WardropersRiver gauge, River Wid 0.50 m Normal +0.03 m 9.5 km
Sandon BridgeRiver gauge, Sandon Brook 0.06 m Very low ±0 12 km
MountnessingRiver gauge, River Wid 0.40 m Normal +0.03 m 13 km
WrittleRiver gauge, River Wid 0.13 m Normal ±0 14 km
SpringfieldRiver gauge, River Chelmer 0.12 m Low ±0 14 km
Beach's MillRiver gauge, River Can 0.26 m Normal ±0 15 km
Harold ParkRiver gauge, River Ingrebourne 0.94 m Normal +0.05 m 19 km
Gaynes ParkRiver gauge, River Ingrebourne 0.11 m Normal ±0 21 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Crouch at Wickford compare with last year?

It is 0.31 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.07 m.

What is a normal level for the River Crouch at Wickford in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.08 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.06 m and 0.34 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 0.37 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Wickford today?

On 19 Oct 2026, 04:00 BST, the water level was 0.37 m. Up 0.26 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Wickford rising or falling?

Up 0.26 m over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Wickford normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Wickford?

The highest level on record is 2.69 m on January 14, 2021. The lowest is 0.04 m on September 25, 2011.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:E21284 (Agency page)
Coordinates
51.61221, 0.52337 (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 0.37 m 2026-10-19 03:00 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Wickford (ea:E21284). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/essex/wickford

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.