Stowmarket water level
River gauge, River Gipping, Suffolk, United Kingdom
Right now
High for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
The gauge at Stowmarket shows 0.27 m, above normal for mid-October.
That puts it 0.07 m above the median of 0.19 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.16 m (+0.10 m).
The water is rising: up 0.11 m over the past 24 hours. If the rise continues, low-lying paths and riverside parking can go under water. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.15 m and 0.27 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
- 0.19 m0.07 m above the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.15 m – 0.28 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.13 m – 0.97 m
- Same day last year
- 0.16 m+0.10 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.15 m – 0.27 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.12 m – 0.56 m
- Highest on record
- 1.75 mOctober 20, 2023
- Lowest on record
- 0.08 mSeptember 9, 1989
On the river at Stowmarket
High, coloured water is hard work for anglers and risky for canoeists, with stronger currents and debris around bridges and weirs.
Flood warnings for the area come from the Environment Agency.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 1.7 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreetingRiver gauge, Stonham Watercourse | 0.24 m | High | +0.02 m | 3.3 km |
| RattlesdenRiver gauge, Rattlesden River | 0.07 m | Normal | ±0 | 8.2 km |
| DebenhamRiver gauge, River Deben | 0.19 m | Normal | ±0 | 13 km |
| HadleighRiver gauge, River Brett | 0.31 m | Normal | ±0 | 15 km |
| CockfieldRiver gauge, River Brett | 0.02 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 15 km |
| CloptonRiver gauge, River Lark | 0.27 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 16 km |
| BrandestonRiver gauge, River Deben | 0.29 m | Normal | +0.02 m | 18 km |
| SicklesmereRiver gauge, River Lark | 0.23 m | Low | +0.01 m | 18 km |
Questions and answers
How does the River Gipping at Stowmarket compare with last year?
It is 0.10 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.16 m.
What is a normal level for the River Gipping at Stowmarket in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.19 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.15 m and 0.28 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 0.27 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Stowmarket today?
On 18 Oct 2026, 21:30 BST, the water level was 0.27 m. Up 0.11 m over the last 24 hours.
Is Stowmarket rising or falling?
Up 0.11 m over the last 24 hours.
Is the level of Stowmarket normal?
High for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Stowmarket?
The highest level on record is 1.75 m on October 20, 2023. The lowest is 0.08 m on September 9, 1989.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:E23277(Agency page)- Coordinates
52.18124, 1.00834(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 | 0.27 m | 2026-10-18 20:30 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Stowmarket (ea:E23277). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/suffolk/stowmarket
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