Writtle water level
River gauge, River Wid, Essex, United Kingdom
Right now
Normal for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
The River Wid at Writtle is at 0.13 m, in the normal range for mid-October.
That puts it 0.01 m below the median of 0.14 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.12 m (+0.02 m).
The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 0.10 m and 0.17 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
- 0.14 m0.01 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.12 m – 0.26 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.03 m – 0.60 m
- Same day last year
- 0.12 m+0.02 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.10 m – 0.17 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.11 m – 0.47 m
- Highest on record
- 1.30 mJanuary 29, 1988
- Lowest on record
- 0.07 mJune 19, 1988
Fishing and paddling
Paddlers and anglers can expect the river much as they know it, though a heavy shower upstream can change that within hours.
Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency.
About the River Wid
River Wid is a river in the county of Essex, England, a tributary of the River Can. It runs to the south of Chelmsford, following the A1016, previously the A12 out of Chelmsford at Widford.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 1.6 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 Wid
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WardropersRiver gauge, River Wid | 0.54 m | Normal | ±0 | 9.7 km |
| MountnessingRiver gauge, River Wid | 0.38 m | Normal | ±0 | 11 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beach's MillRiver gauge, River Can | 0.25 m | Low | −0.02 m | 1.2 km |
| SpringfieldRiver gauge, River Chelmer | 0.12 m | Low | ±0 | 2.8 km |
| Sandon BridgeRiver gauge, Sandon Brook | 0.06 m | Very low | ±0 | 6.9 km |
| High OngarRiver gauge, River Roding | 0.05 m | Normal | ±0 | 13 km |
| FelstedRiver gauge, River Chelmer | 0.14 m | Low | ±0 | 13 km |
| WickfordRiver gauge, River Crouch | 0.17 m | Normal | +0.05 m | 14 km |
| Chipping OngarRiver gauge, Cripsey Brook | 0.12 m | Normal | ±0 | 14 km |
| MoretonRiver gauge, Cripsey Brook | 0.12 m | Normal | ±0 | 15 km |
Questions and answers
How does the River Wid at Writtle compare with last year?
It is 0.02 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.12 m.
What is a normal level for the River Wid at Writtle in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.14 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.12 m and 0.26 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 0.13 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Writtle today?
On 18 Oct 2026, 21:45 BST, the water level was 0.13 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Writtle rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Writtle normal?
Normal for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Writtle?
The highest level on record is 1.30 m on January 29, 1988. The lowest is 0.07 m on June 19, 1988.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:E22885(Agency page)- Coordinates
51.72746, 0.44103(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 | 0.13 m | 2026-10-18 20:45 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Writtle (ea:E22885). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/essex/writtle
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