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Rocester water level

River gauge, River Dove, Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.16m Down 0.01 m over the last 24 hours

0 1 2 Highest onrecord 2.09 m Lowest on record 0.08 m

History

0.20.40.6mOct 10Oct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.20.40.6mOct 10Oct 14Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.20.40.6mSep 17Sep 25Oct 2Oct 10Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.20.40.6mSep 17Oct 2Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.30.50.81.0mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.30.50.81.0mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.30.50.81.0mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.30.50.81.0mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Rocester: the gauge reads 0.16 m, far below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.08 m below the median of 0.24 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.14 m (+0.01 m). The lowest reading on record is 0.08 m (September 29, 1959).

It is still going down, by 0.01 m over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.11 m – 0.20 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
0.24 m0.08 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.16 m – 0.44 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.17 m – 0.67 m
Same day last year
0.14 m+0.01 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.11 m – 0.20 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.11 m – 0.95 m
Highest on record
2.09 mDecember 4, 1960
Lowest on record
0.08 mSeptember 29, 1959

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 Dove

River Dove, central England

The River Dove is the principal river of the southwestern Peak District, in the Midlands of England, and is around 45 miles (72 km) in length. It rises on Axe Edge Moor near Buxton and flows generally south to its confluence with the River Trent at Newton Solney. From there, its waters reach the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. For almost its entire course it forms the boundary between the counties of Staffordshire and Derbyshire. The river meanders past Longnor and Hartington and cuts through a set of deep limestone gorges, Beresford Dale, Wolfscote Dale, Milldale and Dovedale.

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: 8.5 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 12° 4° – Wind 17 km/h
18 Sun 12° 6° – Wind 19 km/h
19 Mon 13° 8° 4.0 mm, 82% Wind 26 km/h
20 Tue 11° 8° 2.7 mm, 46% Wind 15 km/h
21 Wed 12° 7° 0.3 mm, 55% Wind 26 km/h
22 Thu 13° 2° 2.7 mm, 50% Wind 17 km/h
23 Fri 12° 6° 34 mm, 80% Wind 42 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 06:10 PM Daylight 10 hr, 32 min First quarter 43%

Map

Other gauges on the River Dove

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
DoveridgeRiver gauge, River Dove 0.69 m Normal +0.01 m 5.8 km
MayfieldRiver gauge, River Dove 0.26 m Very low −0.02 m 6.9 km
Aston BridgeRiver gauge, River Dove 0.69 m Normal −0.03 m 10.0 km
Izaak WaltonRiver gauge, River Dove 0.26 m Low +0.17 m 12 km
HattonRiver gauge, River Dove 0.29 m Very low −0.02 m 15 km
Marston on DoveRiver gauge, River Dove 0.44 m Low −0.01 m 17 km
WorsbroughRiver gauge, River Dove 0.06 m Low ±0 68 km
Stonyford BridgeRiver gauge, River Dove 0.10 m No reference yet −0.02 m 70 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
QuixhillRiver gauge, River Churnet 0.26 m Normal −0.03 m 3.0 km
Leasows FarmRiver gauge, River Tean 0.41 m High −0.07 m 5.2 km
Uttoxeter ParkRiver gauge, Picknall Brook 0.25 m Very low ±0 7.2 km
AshbourneRiver gauge, Henmore Brook 0.15 m Low −0.01 m 9.2 km
MarchingtonRiver gauge, Marchington Brook 0.15 m Low ±0 9.2 km
HorsebottomsRiver gauge, Foston Brook 0.30 m Normal −0.01 m 9.9 km
Upper TeanRiver gauge, River Tean 0.18 m Very low −0.02 m 10 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Dove at Rocester compare with last year?

It is 0.01 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.14 m.

What is a normal level for the River Dove at Rocester in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.24 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.16 m and 0.44 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 0.16 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Rocester today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 21:30 BST, the water level was 0.16 m. Down 0.01 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Rocester rising or falling?

Down 0.01 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.02 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Rocester 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 Rocester?

The highest level on record is 2.09 m on December 4, 1960. The lowest is 0.08 m on September 29, 1959.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:4008 (Agency page)
Coordinates
52.95455, -1.83399 (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 0.16 m 2026-10-17 20:30 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: Rocester (ea:4008). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/staffordshire/rocester

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