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Bray Lock water level

River gauge, River Thames, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

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Right now

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.16m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 Highest onrecord 1.61 m Lowest on record -0.12 m

History

History
0.10.20.3mOct 16Oct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 17Bottom of normal range0.10.20.3mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Bottom of normal range
0.20.4mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.20.4mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.10.20.30.4mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.10.20.30.4mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

The River Thames at Bray Lock is running far below normal at 0.16 m.

The median for mid-October is 0.23 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.07 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.12 m, a difference of +0.05 m. The lowest reading on record is −0.12 m (January 11, 2003).

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 0.14 m and 0.19 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
0.23 m0.07 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.17 m – 0.29 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.10 m – 0.50 m
Same day last year
0.12 m+0.05 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.14 m – 0.19 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.12 m – 0.36 m
Highest on record
1.61 mDecember 15, 2000
Lowest on record
−0.12 mJanuary 11, 2003

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 Thames

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.

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

17 Sat 14° 6° – Wind 19 km/h
18 Sun 13° 7° 2.0 mm, 54% Wind 23 km/h
19 Mon 13° 9° 0.8 mm, 54% Wind 18 km/h
20 Tue 14° 10° 7.0 mm, 33% Wind 9 km/h
21 Wed 13° 8° 4.1 mm, 45% Wind 34 km/h
22 Thu 13° 7° 0.6 mm, 40% Wind 28 km/h
23 Fri 13° 7° 4.2 mm, 62% Wind 20 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:30 AM Sunset 06:07 PM Daylight 10 hr, 37 min First quarter 43%

Map

Other gauges on the River Thames

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
MaidenheadRiver gauge, River Thames 2.20 m Very low ±0 1.8 km
Boulters LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.14 m Low ±0 2.7 km
Boveney LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.19 m Normal ±0 4.0 km
Cookham LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.08 m Normal ±0 5.8 km
Romney LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.25 m Very high ±0 6.3 km
Windsor ParkRiver gauge, River Thames 3.30 m Normal ±0 7.5 km
Marlow LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.06 m Low ±0 8.5 km
Temple LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.02 m Low ±0 8.6 km
Hurley LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.05 m Low ±0 9.4 km
Old Windsor LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.24 m Very high ±0 9.8 km
Bell WeirRiver gauge, River Thames 0.24 m Very high ±0 13 km
Shiplake LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.04 m Low +0.01 m 14 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
BrayGroundwater well 17.26 m Low +0.02 m 1.1 km
The BinghamsRiver gauge, The Cut 0.96 m Normal −0.04 m 1.4 km
TaplowRiver gauge, Jubilee River 1.64 m Normal ±0 2.3 km
Raymill RoadRiver gauge, Maidenhead Ditch −0.03 m Lowest on record −0.01 m 2.9 km
Bourne EndRiver gauge, River Wye 0.16 m Normal ±0 7.0 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Thames at Bray Lock higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.05 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.12 m.

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

The median for mid-October is 0.23 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.17 m and 0.29 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 Bray Lock today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 21:45 BST, the water level was 0.16 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Bray Lock rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Bray Lock 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 Bray Lock?

The highest level on record is 1.61 m on December 15, 2000. The lowest is −0.12 m on January 11, 2003.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:2607TH (Agency page)
Coordinates
51.50930, -0.69032 (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 20:45 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Bray Lock (ea:2607TH). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/buckinghamshire/bray-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.