Cappenham water level
River gauge, River Tove, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Very low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
The River Tove at Cappenham is running far below normal at 0.11 m.
The median for mid-October is 0.16 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.06 m below typical. A year ago it stood at 0.11 m as well. The lowest reading on record is 0.06 m (July 19, 1990).
It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 0.10 m and 0.19 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
- 0.16 m0.06 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.11 m – 0.33 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.11 m – 0.58 m
- Same day last year
- 0.11 m0.00 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.10 m – 0.19 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.09 m – 0.65 m
- Highest on record
- 2.06 mApril 9, 1998
- Lowest on record
- 0.06 mJuly 19, 1990
Fishing and paddling
At low levels, many rivers become a walk-and-paddle trip. Fish hold in deeper pools and spook easily.
Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency.
About the River Tove
The River Tove is a river in England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. Rising in Northamptonshire about a mile north of Greatworth, it flows for about 15 miles (24 km) north and east of the town of Towcester near Bury Mount before meeting the Ouse south-east of Cosgrove just north of Milton Keynes. Its final 5 miles (8 km) form part of the border between Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, running alongside the Grand Union Canal. The river ultimately flows into the North Sea.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
The forecast is not available right now.
Map
Other gauges on the River Tove
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TowcesterRiver gauge, River Tove | 0.18 m | Low | −0.02 m | 2.4 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wootton ParkRiver gauge, Wootton Brook | 0.06 m | Low | −0.02 m | 9.1 km |
| BugbrookeRiver gauge, Bugbrooke Brook | 75.81 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 9.5 km |
| Duston MillRiver gauge, River Nene | 0.47 m | Normal | ±0 | 11 km |
| KislingburyRiver gauge, River Nene | 0.09 m | Normal | ±0 | 11 km |
| Stony StratfordRiver gauge, River Great Ouse | 0.13 m | Low | ±0 | 11 km |
| South BridgeRiver gauge, River Nene | 1.14 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 12 km |
| PassenhamRiver gauge, River Great Ouse | 2.18 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 12 km |
| HavershamRiver gauge, River Great Ouse | 0.19 m | Normal | ±0 | 13 km |
Questions and answers
Is the River Tove at Cappenham higher than last year?
It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.11 m.
What is a normal level for the River Tove at Cappenham in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.16 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.11 m and 0.33 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 0.11 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Cappenham today?
On 18 Oct 2026, 07:00 BST, the water level was 0.11 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Cappenham rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.02 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Cappenham normal?
Very 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 Cappenham?
The highest level on record is 2.06 m on April 9, 1998. The lowest is 0.06 m on July 19, 1990.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:E21042(Agency page)- Coordinates
52.13178, -0.96205(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 | 0.11 m | 2026-10-18 06:00 | Provisional |
Download
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Cappenham (ea:E21042). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/northamptonshire/cappenham
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