Polstead water level
River gauge, River Box, Suffolk, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
The River Box at Polstead is running below normal at 0.11 m.
The median for mid-October is 0.13 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.02 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.13 m, a difference of −0.01 m.
Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 0.11 m and 0.11 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
- 0.13 m0.02 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.11 m – 0.17 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.10 m – 0.68 m
- Same day last year
- 0.13 m−0.01 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.11 m – 0.11 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.07 m – 0.38 m
- Highest on record
- 1.25 mJanuary 30, 1988
- Lowest on record
- 0.07 mAugust 15, 1997
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, Natural Resources Wales or SEPA, depending on where you are.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 0.5 mm. Rain upstream usually reaches a river gauge after hours to days.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Other gauges on the River Box
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BoxfordRiver gauge, River Box | 1.20 m | Normal | 0.00 m | 3.5 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LanghamRiver gauge, River Stour | 0.25 m | Very low | 4.9 km | |
| HadleighRiver gauge, River Brett | 0.31 m | Normal | 0.00 m | 6.4 km |
| Bures BridgeRiver gauge, River Stour | 0.23 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 8.7 km |
| LamarshRiver gauge, River Stour | 0.36 m | Normal | 9.7 km | |
| LexdenRiver gauge, River Colne | 0.20 m | Normal | 12 km | |
| Long MelfordRiver gauge, Chad Brook | 0.20 m | Normal | 14 km | |
| Earls ColneRiver gauge, River Colne | 0.11 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 15 km |
| CockfieldRiver gauge, River Brett | 0.02 m | Low | 0.00 m | 16 km |
Questions and answers
Is the River Box at Polstead higher than last year?
No, it is 0.01 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.13 m.
How high and low has the River Box at Polstead been?
The highest reading on record is 1.25 m (January 30, 1988). The lowest is 0.07 m (August 15, 1997).
How often is Polstead updated?
Several times an hour. New readings from Environment Agency appear here as they arrive. Latest: Oct 17, 2026, 12:15 AM GMT+1.
What is the water level of Polstead today?
On Oct 17, 2026, 12:15 AM GMT+1, the water level was 0.11 m. Low.
Is the level of Polstead 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 Polstead?
The highest level on record is 1.25 m on January 30, 1988. The lowest is 0.07 m on August 15, 1997.
How often is this data updated?
Environment Agency publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:E22697(Agency page)- Coordinates
52.00394, 0.89097(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 stage | 0.11 m | 2026-10-16 23:15 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Polstead (ea:E22697). Accessed October 16, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/suffolk/polstead
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