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Rickmansworth water level

River gauge, River Chess, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

0.08m Steady over the last 24 hours

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.4 Highest onrecord 0.37 m Lowest on record 0.04 m

History

0.060.080.100.12mOct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 18Oct 19Bottom of normal range0.060.080.100.12mOct 12Oct 16Oct 19Bottom of normal range
0.060.080.100.12mSep 19Sep 27Oct 4Oct 12Oct 19Bottom of normal range0.060.080.100.12mSep 19Oct 4Oct 19Bottom of normal range
0.10.20.3mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.10.20.3mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.050.100.150.20mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.050.100.150.20mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

The River Chess at Rickmansworth is at 0.08 m, in the normal range for mid-October.

That puts it 0.01 m below the median of 0.09 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.09 m as well.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 0.08 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
0.09 m0.01 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.06 m – 0.12 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.06 m – 0.34 m
Same day last year
0.09 m0.00 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.08 m – 0.09 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.08 m – 0.14 m
Highest on record
0.37 mMay 18, 2001
Lowest on record
0.04 mSeptember 7, 1989

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 Chess

River Chess

The River Chess is a chalk stream that rises near Chesham in the Chiltern Hills in England, and flows for 11 miles (18 km) through Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire to its confluence with the River Colne in Rickmansworth. The Chess, along with the Colne and Gade, gives rise to the name of the district of Three Rivers.

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

18 Sun 13° 7° 3.1 mm, 80% Wind 21 km/h
19 Mon 14° 9° 2.3 mm, 92% Wind 13 km/h
20 Tue 12° 11° 11 mm, 69% Wind 11 km/h
21 Wed 14° 7° 3.6 mm, 51% Wind 25 km/h
22 Thu 14° 5° 1.3 mm, 51% Wind 16 km/h
23 Fri 11° 7° 37 mm, 76% Wind 36 km/h
24 Sat 10° 3° – Wind 21 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:33 AM Sunset 06:02 PM Daylight 10 hr, 29 min First quarter 61%

Map

Other gauges on the River Chess

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
CheshamRiver gauge, River Chess 0.31 m Normal ±0 13 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Moor LaneRiver gauge, River Colne 7.46 m Normal +0.01 m 1.4 km
Croxley GreenRiver gauge, River Gade 0.09 m Normal −0.01 m 1.7 km
WatfordRiver gauge, River Colne 0.19 m Normal ±0 6.4 km
Howletts Lane, RuislipRiver gauge, Cannon Brook 0.10 m Normal +0.03 m 6.6 km
Woodhall AvenueRiver gauge, River Pinn 0.19 m Very low +0.02 m 6.8 km
Waxwell LaneRiver gauge, River Pinn 0.16 m Very low ±0 6.9 km
RuislipRiver gauge, River Pinn 0.16 m Normal +0.01 m 7.3 km
Pinner, Avenue RoadRiver gauge, River Pinn 0.16 m Normal −0.01 m 7.4 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Chess at Rickmansworth compare with last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.09 m.

What is a normal level for the River Chess at Rickmansworth in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.09 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.06 m and 0.12 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 Rickmansworth today?

On 19 Oct 2026, 20:00 BST, the water level was 0.08 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Rickmansworth rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Rickmansworth 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 Rickmansworth?

The highest level on record is 0.37 m on May 18, 2001. The lowest is 0.04 m on September 7, 1989.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:2859TH (Agency page)
Coordinates
51.64199, -0.46125 (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 0.08 m 2026-10-19 19:00 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Rickmansworth (ea:2859TH). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/hertfordshire/rickmansworth

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