Cold Harbour water level
River gauge, Hinksey Stream, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Very low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
At 0.81 m, the Hinksey Stream at Cold Harbour is far below normal for mid-October.
That puts it 0.07 m below the median of 0.88 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.83 m (−0.02 m). The lowest reading on record is 0.58 m (June 14, 2003).
The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.79 m and 0.89 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
- 0.88 m0.07 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.82 m – 1.02 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.84 m – 2.30 m
- Same day last year
- 0.83 m−0.02 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.79 m – 0.89 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.75 m – 2.09 m
- Highest on record
- 2.74 mJanuary 5, 2003
- Lowest on record
- 0.58 mJune 14, 2003
On the river at Cold Harbour
Low, clear water makes fish wary, and anglers often do better early and late in the day. For canoeists, shallow riffles mean scraped hulls and the odd portage.
Flood warnings for the area come from the Environment Agency.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 1.2 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 Hinksey Stream
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinksey LakeRiver gauge, Hinksey Stream | 0.15 m | Lowest on record | +0.01 m | 1.2 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iffley LockRiver gauge, River Thames | 0.08 m | Low | +0.01 m | 0.8 km |
| Oxford Botanical GardensRiver gauge, River Cherwell | 4.64 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 2.2 km |
| Osney LockRiver gauge, River Thames | −0.01 m | Normal | ±0 | 2.5 km |
| Sandford-on-ThamesRiver gauge, River Thames | 0.06 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 2.8 km |
| Kings MillRiver gauge, River Cherwell | 1.59 m | Very low | ±0 | 2.9 km |
| New BotleyRiver gauge, Bulstake Stream | 0.78 m | Very low | ±0 | 3.2 km |
| Minns EstateRiver gauge, Seacourt Stream | 1.07 m | Normal | ±0 | 3.6 km |
| Abingdon PeachcroftRiver gauge, Radley Park Ditch | 0.43 m | Low | ±0 | 5.4 km |
Questions and answers
How does the Hinksey Stream at Cold Harbour compare with last year?
It is 0.02 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.83 m.
What is a normal level for the Hinksey Stream at Cold Harbour in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.88 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.82 m and 1.02 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 0.81 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Cold Harbour today?
On 19 Oct 2026, 09:00 BST, the water level was 0.81 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Cold Harbour rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Cold Harbour 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 Cold Harbour?
The highest level on record is 2.74 m on January 5, 2003. The lowest is 0.58 m on June 14, 2003.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:1675TH(Agency page)- Coordinates
51.73097, -1.25135(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 | 0.81 m | 2026-10-19 08:00 | Provisional |
Download
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Cold Harbour (ea:1675TH). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/oxfordshire/cold-harbour
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