Colsterworth water level
River gauge, River Witham, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
Low water at Colsterworth: the gauge reads 0.08 m, below normal for mid-October.
The median for mid-October is 0.10 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.02 m below typical. A year ago it stood at 0.08 m as well.
It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.07 m – 0.12 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
- 0.10 m0.02 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.07 m – 0.19 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.08 m – 0.77 m
- Same day last year
- 0.08 m0.00 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.07 m – 0.12 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.07 m – 0.51 m
- Highest on record
- 1.62 mJanuary 6, 2025
- Lowest on record
- 0.01 mMarch 4, 1980
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 Witham
The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in eastern England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at SK8818, passes through the centre of Grantham, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh. The mouth of the river moved in 1014 following severe flooding, and Boston became important as a port.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 3.5 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 Witham
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North WithamRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.12 m | Normal | ±0 | 3.0 km |
| SaltersfordRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.12 m | Normal | +0.11 m | 8.9 km |
| HoughamRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.87 m | Normal | +0.08 m | 20 km |
| ClaypoleRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.19 m | Normal | +0.08 m | 25 km |
| Langrick BridgeRiver gauge, River Witham | 1.29 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 41 km |
| Chapel HillRiver gauge, River Witham | 1.06 m | Normal | +0.02 m | 41 km |
| North HykehamRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.22 m | Normal | ±0 | 41 km |
| BracebridgeRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.36 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 44 km |
| Kirkstead BridgeRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.78 m | Normal | +0.03 m | 45 km |
| Brayford PoolRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.29 m | Normal | ±0 | 47 km |
| Stamp End SluiceRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.89 m | Normal | ±0 | 47 km |
| BardneyRiver gauge, River Witham | 0.90 m | Normal | +0.07 m | 48 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burton CogglesRiver gauge, West Glen River | −0.12 m | Lowest on record | +0.01 m | 6.0 km |
| Castle BythamRiver gauge, River Tham | 0.15 m | Normal | ±0 | 8.5 km |
| Little BythamRiver gauge, River Tham | 0.03 m | Normal | ±0 | 11 km |
| IrnhamRiver gauge, East Glen River | 0.03 m | Normal | +0.03 m | 11 km |
| WoolsthorpeRiver gauge, River Devon | 0.57 m | Normal | +0.02 m | 13 km |
| AllingtonRiver gauge, Foston Beck | 0.08 m | Normal | +0.05 m | 16 km |
| Melton ParkRiver gauge, River Wreake | 0.79 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 19 km |
| Shillingthorpe GS WitsRiver gauge | 0.05 m | Normal | ±0 | 20 km |
Questions and answers
Is the River Witham at Colsterworth higher than last year?
It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.08 m.
What is a normal level for the River Witham at Colsterworth in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.10 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.07 m and 0.19 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 Colsterworth today?
On 19 Oct 2026, 16:30 BST, the water level was 0.08 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Colsterworth rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is the level of Colsterworth 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 Colsterworth?
The highest level on record is 1.62 m on January 6, 2025. The lowest is 0.01 m on March 4, 1980.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:E1652(Agency page)- Coordinates
52.81094, -0.62316(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 | 0.08 m | 2026-10-19 15:30 | 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: Colsterworth (ea:E1652). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/lincolnshire/colsterworth
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