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Fairford water level

River gauge, River Coln, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

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Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.41m Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
0.63 m³/s
0.5 1.0 1.5 Highest onrecord 1.43 m Lowest on record 0.31 m

History

History
0.40.60.81.0mOct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.40.60.81.0mOct 12Oct 15Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.40.60.81.0mSep 19Sep 26Oct 4Oct 11Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.40.60.81.0mSep 19Oct 4Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.50.81.0mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.50.81.0mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.50.81.0mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.50.81.0mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Fairford: the gauge reads 0.41 m, below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.08 m below the median of 0.49 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.42 m (−0.01 m).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.41 m – 0.44 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
0.49 m0.08 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.39 m – 0.82 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.42 m – 1.08 m
Same day last year
0.42 m−0.01 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.41 m – 0.44 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.41 m – 1.01 m
Highest on record
1.43 mJuly 21, 2007
Lowest on record
0.31 mNovember 13, 2003

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 Coln

River Coln

The River Coln is a river in Gloucestershire, England. It rises to the north of Brockhampton, a village to the east of Cheltenham, and flows in a south/south-easterly direction through the Cotswold Hills via Andoversford, Withington, Fossebridge, Bibury, Coln St Aldwyns, Quenington and Fairford. It joins the River Thames to the south-west of Lechlade, near to the confluence with the Thames and Severn Canal.

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

18 Sun 12° 6° 1.5 mm, 37% Wind 23 km/h
19 Mon 14° 8° 5.2 mm, 91% Wind 22 km/h
20 Tue 12° 6° 7.8 mm, 77% Wind 9 km/h
21 Wed 12° 5° 3.0 mm, 50% Wind 25 km/h
22 Thu 13° 5° 0.9 mm, 64% Wind 16 km/h
23 Fri 9° 5° 23 mm, 78% Wind 34 km/h
24 Sat 10° 3° 0.5 mm, 59% Wind 28 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:38 AM Sunset 06:07 PM Daylight 10 hr, 29 min First quarter 54%

Map

Other gauges on the River Coln

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
BiburyRiver gauge, River Coln 0.05 m Very low ±0 5.8 km
Fosse BridgeRiver gauge, River Coln 0.03 m Low ±0 12 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Whetstone BridgeRiver gauge, Marston Meysey Brook 0.08 m Normal ±0 5.2 km
Hannington BridgeRiver gauge, River Thames 1.97 m Very low −0.03 m 5.6 km
IngleshamRiver gauge, River Cole 0.05 m Low −0.02 m 7.2 km
Ampney St PeterRiver gauge, Ampney Brook 0.07 m Very low ±0 7.3 km
St Johns LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.07 m Normal −0.02 m 7.6 km
Sheeppen BridgeRiver gauge, Ampney Brook −0.12 m Low ±0 7.6 km
LechladeRiver gauge, River Leach 0.05 m Low ±0 7.9 km
Water EatonRiver gauge, River Ray 0.99 m Normal −0.02 m 8.2 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Coln at Fairford compare with last year?

It is 0.01 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.42 m.

What is a normal level for the River Coln at Fairford in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.49 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.39 m and 0.82 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 0.41 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Fairford today?

On 19 Oct 2026, 00:30 BST, the water level was 0.41 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Fairford rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Fairford 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 Fairford?

The highest level on record is 1.43 m on July 21, 2007. The lowest is 0.31 m on November 13, 2003.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:0680TH (Agency page)
Coordinates
51.70939, -1.78397 (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 0.41 m 2026-10-18 23:30 Provisional
Flow 0.63 m³/s 2026-10-18 23:30 Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

How to cite

Environment Agency: Fairford (ea:0680TH). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/gloucestershire/fairford

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.