Whittington water level
River gauge, River Rother, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
Low water at Whittington: the gauge reads 0.23 m, below normal for mid-October.
The median for mid-October is 0.29 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.06 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.20 m, a difference of +0.03 m.
It is still going down, by 0.06 m over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.18 m – 0.37 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
- 0.29 m0.06 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.21 m – 0.50 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.23 m – 2.45 m
- Same day last year
- 0.20 m+0.03 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.18 m – 0.37 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.18 m – 1.20 m
- Highest on record
- 4.12 mJune 25, 2007
- Lowest on record
- 0.16 mAugust 14, 2011
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 Rother
The River Rother flows for 35 miles (56 km) through the English counties of East Sussex and Kent. Its source is near Rotherfield in East Sussex, and its mouth is on Rye Bay, part of the English Channel. Prior to 1287, its mouth was further to the east at New Romney, but it changed its course after a great storm blocked its exit to the sea. It was known as the Limen until the sixteenth century. For the final 14 miles (23 km), the river bed is below the high tide level, and Scots Float Sluice is used to control levels. It prevents salt water entering the river system at high tides, and retains water in the river during the summer months to ensure the health of the surrounding marsh habitat. Below the sluice, the river is tidal for 3.7 miles (6.0 km).
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 4.3 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 Rother
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield Tapton BridgeRiver gauge, River Rother | 0.06 m | Low | −0.04 m | 3.0 km |
| Hady HillRiver gauge, River Rother | 0.53 m | Normal | −0.06 m | 3.6 km |
| Chesterfield St AugustinesRiver gauge, River Rother | 0.22 m | Normal | −0.04 m | 4.6 km |
| Chesterfield Avenue WashlandsRiver gauge, River Rother | 0.20 m | Normal | ±0 | 6.0 km |
| KillamarshRiver gauge, River Rother | −0.07 m | Very low | −0.11 m | 8.7 km |
| Meadowgate RegulatorRiver gauge, River Rother | 35.13 m | No reference yet | −0.09 m | 10 km |
| Woodhouse Mill RegulatorRiver gauge, River Rother | 0.25 m | Normal | −0.08 m | 12 km |
| Woodhouse MillRiver gauge, River Rother | 0.47 m | Normal | −0.05 m | 12 km |
| CatcliffeRiver gauge, River Rother | 25.38 m | Normal | −0.14 m | 14 km |
| Canklow RegulatorRiver gauge, River Rother | 23.87 m | No reference yet | −0.12 m | 16 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SheepbridgeRiver gauge, River Whitting | 0.07 m | Low | ±0 | 1.8 km |
| Chesterfield AshgateRiver gauge, Holme Brook | 0.02 m | Normal | −0.02 m | 3.9 km |
| Chesterfield Park Road BridgeRiver gauge, River Hipper | −0.01 m | Very low | ±0 | 3.9 km |
| Chesterfield Calow LaneRiver gauge, Calow Brook | 0.12 m | Normal | −0.03 m | 4.6 km |
| ChesterfieldRiver gauge, River Hipper | 0.34 m | Very low | −0.02 m | 4.9 km |
| StaveleyRiver gauge, River Doe Lea | 0.11 m | Normal | −0.08 m | 4.9 km |
| DronfieldRiver gauge, River Drone | −0.03 m | Very low | −0.03 m | 5.8 km |
Questions and answers
Is the River Rother at Whittington higher than last year?
Yes, it is 0.03 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.20 m.
What is a normal level for the River Rother at Whittington in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.29 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.21 m and 0.50 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 0.23 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Whittington today?
On 17 Oct 2026, 13:45 BST, the water level was 0.23 m. Down 0.06 m over the last 24 hours.
Is Whittington rising or falling?
Down 0.06 m over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Whittington 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 Whittington?
The highest level on record is 4.12 m on June 25, 2007. The lowest is 0.16 m on August 14, 2011.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:F0203(Agency page)- Coordinates
53.26603, -1.41074(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 | 0.23 m | 2026-10-17 12:45 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Whittington (ea:F0203). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/derbyshire/whittington
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