Osney Lock water level

Name: Osney Lock water level (Environment Agency)
Creator: Environment Agency
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

River gauge, River Thames, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

-0.01m Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured 18 Oct 2026, 14:45 BST (45 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Osney Lock, where the gauge shows −0.01 m.

That puts it 0.01 m below the median of 0.01 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at −0.08 m (+0.08 m).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is −0.04 m – 0.07 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: 0.01 m0.01 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date: −0.04 m – 0.04 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range: −0.15 m – 0.12 m
Same day last year: −0.08 m+0.08 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: −0.04 m – 0.07 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: −0.86 m – 0.06 m
Highest on record: 0.34 mJanuary 1, 1997
Lowest on record: −0.31 mNovember 2, 2006

For anglers and canoeists

This is an ordinary level for the river: most put-ins, beats and weirs behave as they usually do.

Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.

About the River Thames

The River Thames, or simply the Thames, known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.2 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 12° 7° 0.9 mm, 61% Wind 21 km/h

19 Mon 14° 8° 4.1 mm, 98% Wind 16 km/h

20 Tue 12° 10° 8.6 mm, 83% Wind 10 km/h

21 Wed 11° 5° 12 mm, 56% Wind 31 km/h

22 Thu 12° 5° 2.6 mm, 74% Wind 15 km/h

23 Fri 12° 7° 27 mm, 86% Wind 43 km/h

24 Sat 13° 6° 0.6 mm, 46% Wind 23 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:35 AM Sunset 06:07 PM Daylight 10 hr, 32 min First quarter 50%

Map

Other gauges on the River Thames

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Iffley LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.08 m	Low	−0.01 m	3.1 km
Godstow LockRiver gauge, River Thames	−0.19 m	Very low	−0.04 m	3.5 km
Kings LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.03 m	Very low	−0.01 m	5.1 km
Sandford-on-ThamesRiver gauge, River Thames	0.09 m	Normal	+0.02 m	5.3 km
Pinkhill LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.01 m	Very low	+0.01 m	6.3 km
Eynsham LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.04 m	Very low	±0	6.4 km
FarmoorRiver gauge, River Thames	0.76 m	Very low	+0.01 m	6.5 km
Northmoor LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.13 m	Normal	+0.01 m	7.9 km
Abingdon LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.04 m	Very low	−0.02 m	8.8 km
Culham LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.14 m	Normal	−0.02 m	11 km
Sutton CourtenayRiver gauge, River Thames	2.08 m	Normal	−0.01 m	11 km
Clifton LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.11 m	Normal	−0.03 m	12 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
New BotleyRiver gauge, Bulstake Stream	0.78 m	Very low	−0.02 m	0.7 km
Minns EstateRiver gauge, Seacourt Stream	1.08 m	Normal	±0	1.3 km
Hinksey LakeRiver gauge, Hinksey Stream	0.14 m	Lowest on record	±0	1.3 km
Oxford Botanical GardensRiver gauge, River Cherwell	4.64 m	Lowest on record	±0	1.8 km
Kings MillRiver gauge, River Cherwell	1.59 m	Very low	±0	2.5 km
Cold HarbourRiver gauge, Hinksey Stream	0.82 m	Low	+0.02 m	2.5 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Thames at Osney Lock compare with last year?

It is 0.08 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was −0.08 m.

What is a normal level for the River Thames at Osney Lock in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.01 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between −0.04 m and 0.04 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 −0.01 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Osney Lock today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 14:45 BST, the water level was −0.01 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Osney Lock rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.02 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Osney Lock normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Osney Lock?

The highest level on record is 0.34 m on January 1, 1997. The lowest is −0.31 m on November 2, 2006.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment Agency
Station code: ea:1303TH (Agency page)
Coordinates: 51.74909, -1.27278 (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	−0.01 m	2026-10-18 13:45	Provisional

Download

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<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/1118?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Osney Lock water level"></iframe>

How to cite

Environment Agency: Osney Lock (ea:1303TH). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/oxfordshire/osney-lock

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