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Long Load water level

River gauge, Witcombe Bottom Main Drain, Somerset, United Kingdom

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Right now

Very high for mid-October

Water level

7.38m Up 0.02 m over the last 24 hours

8 10 Highest onrecord 10.64 m Lowest on record 6.27 m

History

History
7.357.40mOct 16Oct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 177.357.40mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17
6810mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range6810mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
6810mJanMarMayJulSepNov20266810mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

The gauge at Long Load shows 7.38 m, well above normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.03 m above the median of 7.35 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 7.35 m (+0.04 m). The record high is 10.64 m, set on October 23, 2001.

The water is rising: up 0.02 m over the past 24 hours. If the rise continues, low-lying paths and riverside parking can go under water. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 7.31 m and 7.42 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
7.35 m0.03 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date
7.33 m – 7.38 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
6.65 m – 8.44 m
Same day last year
7.35 m+0.04 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
7.31 m – 7.42 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
5.99 m – 10.32 m
Highest on record
10.64 mOctober 23, 2001
Lowest on record
6.27 mMarch 23, 2008

High water at Long Load

Official flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency. They cover areas, not single gauges, so a warning can be in force before this reading looks dramatic.

Keep children and dogs well back from the edge, and stay off flooded footpaths and towpaths.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 2.1 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 14° 6° – Wind 19 km/h
18 Sun 13° 4° – Wind 19 km/h
19 Mon 14° 8° 0.4 mm, 80% Wind 20 km/h
20 Tue 14° 9° 4.4 mm, 69% Wind 9 km/h
21 Wed 14° 9° 7.0 mm, 62% Wind 26 km/h
22 Thu 14° 7° 4.3 mm, 74% Wind 18 km/h
23 Fri 13° 9° 27 mm, 76% Wind 44 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:38 AM Sunset 06:16 PM Daylight 10 hr, 39 min First quarter 44%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Huish Episcopi Pumping StationRiver gauge, Longload Main Drain 1.30 m Normal +0.01 m 3.6 km
Huish Episcopi Pumping StationRiver gauge, River Yeo 1.68 m Normal −0.01 m 3.6 km
Gaw BridgeRiver gauge, River Parrett 0.25 m Normal −0.01 m 4.6 km
MidelneyRiver gauge, River Isle 1.41 m Normal ±0 5.1 km
MidelneyRiver gauge, West Moor Drain 0.98 m Normal −0.02 m 5.1 km
IlchesterRiver gauge, River Yeo 0.07 m Normal −0.02 m 5.4 km
Westover Pumping StationRiver gauge, Huish Level Rhyne 0.99 m Normal −0.08 m 5.9 km
ChiselboroughRiver gauge, River Parrett 0.05 m Normal ±0 9.4 km

Questions and answers

How does Witcombe Bottom Main Drain at Long Load compare with last year?

It is 0.04 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 7.35 m.

What is a normal level for Witcombe Bottom Main Drain at Long Load in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 7.35 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 7.33 m and 7.38 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 7.38 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Long Load today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 23:30 BST, the water level was 7.38 m. Up 0.02 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Long Load rising or falling?

Up 0.02 m over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Long Load normal?

Very high for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Long Load?

The highest level on record is 10.64 m on October 23, 2001. The lowest is 6.27 m on March 23, 2008.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:52156 (Agency page)
Coordinates
51.01087, -2.75898 (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 7.38 m 2026-10-17 22:30 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Long Load (ea:52156). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/somerset/long-load

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.