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SwedenSicklesmere water level
River gauge, River Lark, Suffolk, United Kingdom
Right now
Below the normal range
Water level
History
What this means
The River Lark at Sicklesmere is running below normal at 0.22 m.
The usual range here runs from 0.23 m to 1.30 m.
The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 0.20 m and 0.23 m.
Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.
Compared with the normal range the agency publishes for this gauge. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Normal range
- 0.23 m – 1.30 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.20 m – 0.23 m
- Highest on record
- 1.79 mDecember 24, 2020
- Lowest on record
- 0.20 mJuly 15, 2011
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 Lark
The River Lark crosses the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in England. It is a chalk river and a tributary of the River Great Ouse, and was extended when that river was re-routed as part of drainage improvements. It is thought to have been used for navigation since Roman times, and improvements to its navigability were made in 1638 and in the early 18th century, when locks and staunches were built. Special powers to improve the river from Mildenhall to Bury St Edmunds were granted by statute. The upper terminus was on the northern edge of Bury St Edmunds, but a new dock was opened near the railway station after the Eastern Union Railway opened its line in 1846.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 1.6 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 Lark
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fornham St MartinRiver gauge, River Lark | 0.03 m | Low | −0.01 m | 7.1 km |
| TempleRiver gauge, River Lark | 0.20 m | Low | +0.01 m | 17 km |
| Barton Mills SluiceRiver gauge, River Lark | 0.09 m | Very low | ±0 | 20 km |
| IslehamRiver gauge, River Lark | 2.12 m | Normal | ±0 | 27 km |
| CloptonRiver gauge, River Lark | 0.27 m | Normal | ±0 | 34 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CockfieldRiver gauge, River Brett | 0.02 m | Low | ±0 | 9.2 km |
| RattlesdenRiver gauge, Rattlesden River | 0.07 m | Normal | ±0 | 10.0 km |
| GlemsfordRiver gauge, River Glem | 0.09 m | Normal | ±0 | 14 km |
| Long MelfordRiver gauge, Chad Brook | 0.19 m | Normal | ±0 | 15 km |
| WestmillRiver gauge, River Stour | 0.23 m | Normal | ±0 | 15 km |
| OusdenRiver gauge, River Kennett | 0.23 m | Low | ±0 | 15 km |
| StowmarketRiver gauge, River Gipping | 0.16 m | Low | −0.01 m | 18 km |
Questions and answers
What is the typical range for the River Lark at Sicklesmere?
The Environment Agency gives a typical range of 0.23 m to 1.30 m for this gauge.
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 0.22 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Sicklesmere today?
On 17 Oct 2026, 13:00 BST, the water level was 0.22 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Sicklesmere rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Sicklesmere normal?
Below the normal range. Compared with the normal range the agency publishes for this gauge.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Sicklesmere?
The highest level on record is 1.79 m on December 24, 2020. The lowest is 0.20 m on July 15, 2011.
How often is this data updated?
The 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:E22176(Agency page)- Coordinates
52.21296, 0.74669(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 | 0.22 m | 2026-10-17 12:00 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.
How to cite
Environment Agency: Sicklesmere (ea:E22176). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/suffolk/sicklesmere
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