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Fakenham water level

River gauge, River Wensum, Norfolk, United Kingdom

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Right now

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.40m Steady over the last 24 hours

0.3 0.5 0.8 Highest onrecord 0.81 m Lowest on record 0.11 m

History

History
0.40.50.6mOct 16Oct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 17Top of normal range0.40.50.6mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Top of normal range
0.20.40.6mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.20.40.6mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.30.40.5mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.30.40.5mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Fakenham: the gauge reads 0.40 m, far below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 0.45 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.05 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.41 m, a difference of −0.01 m. The lowest reading on record is 0.11 m (November 6, 1995).

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly.

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
0.45 m0.05 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.41 m – 0.52 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.09 m – 0.64 m
Same day last year
0.41 m−0.01 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.40 m – 0.40 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.27 m – 0.57 m
Highest on record
0.81 mJanuary 16, 2020
Lowest on record
0.11 mNovember 6, 1995

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 Wensum

River Wensum

The River Wensum is a chalk river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare, despite being the larger of the two rivers. The river is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.

Read more on Wikipedia

Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 3.4 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 13° 10° 0.6 mm, 64% Wind 26 km/h
18 Sun 13° 9° 7.5 mm, 76% Wind 26 km/h
19 Mon 14° 11° 0.4 mm, 64% Wind 21 km/h
20 Tue 14° 12° 2.6 mm, 34% Wind 21 km/h
21 Wed 13° 8° 7.7 mm, 43% Wind 26 km/h
22 Thu 11° 8° 5.7 mm, 27% Wind 56 km/h
23 Fri 12° 7° 3.2 mm, 47% Wind 34 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:26 AM Sunset 05:59 PM Daylight 10 hr, 33 min First quarter 42%

Map

Other gauges on the River Wensum

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Swanton MorleyRiver gauge, River Wensum 0.11 m Normal ±0 15 km
Costessey MillRiver gauge, River Wensum 0.25 m Normal ±0 31 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Little WalsinghamRiver gauge, River Stiffkey 0.11 m Low −0.02 m 7.4 km
South CreakeRiver gauge, River Burn 0.04 m Lowest on record ±0 8.1 km
WarhamRiver gauge, River Stiffkey 0.53 m Normal +0.01 m 12 km
HunworthRiver gauge, River Glaven 0.16 m Normal −0.01 m 16 km
Wendling BeckRiver gauge 0.15 m Normal ±0 17 km
CorpustyRiver gauge, River Bure 0.11 m Normal ±0 19 km
Stone Road FarmRiver gauge, River Tud 0.23 m Normal +0.01 m 20 km
Castle RisingRiver gauge, Babingley River 0.12 m Very low ±0 24 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Wensum at Fakenham higher than last year?

No, it is 0.01 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.41 m.

What is a normal level for the River Wensum at Fakenham in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.45 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.41 m and 0.52 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 0.40 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Fakenham today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 17:30 BST, the water level was 0.40 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Fakenham rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Fakenham 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 Fakenham?

The highest level on record is 0.81 m on January 16, 2020. The lowest is 0.11 m on November 6, 1995.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:E25940 (Agency page)
Coordinates
52.82736, 0.84742 (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 0.40 m 2026-10-17 16:30 Provisional

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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: Fakenham (ea:E25940). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/norfolk/fakenham

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.