Bowston water level

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

River gauge, River Kent, Cumbria, United Kingdom

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

0.30m Down 0.04 m over the last 24 hours

Measured 17 Oct 2026, 18:00 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

The River Kent at Bowston is at 0.30 m, in the normal range for mid-October.

That puts it 0.04 m above the median of 0.26 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.18 m (+0.11 m).

It has dropped 0.04 m over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 0.17 m and 0.65 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: 0.26 m0.04 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 0.18 m – 0.47 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range: 0.13 m – 1.20 m
Same day last year: 0.18 m+0.11 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 0.17 m – 0.65 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 0.12 m – 1.19 m
Highest on record: 2.53 mDecember 5, 2015
Lowest on record: 0.10 mAugust 5, 2001

Fishing and paddling

Paddlers and anglers can expect the river much as they know it, though a heavy shower upstream can change that within hours.

Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency.

About the River Kent

The River Kent is a short river in the county of Cumbria in England. It originates in hills surrounding Kentmere, and flows for around 20 miles (32 km) into the north of Morecambe Bay. The upper reaches and the western bank of the estuary are located within the boundaries of the Lake District National Park. The river flows in a generally north to south direction, passing through Kentmere, Staveley, Burneside, Kendal and Sedgwick. Near Sedgwick, the river passes through a rock gorge which produces a number of low waterfalls. This section is popular with kayakers as it offers high quality whitewater for several days after rain. The village of Arnside is situated on the east bank of the Kent estuary, just above Morecambe Bay, and a tidal bore known as the Arnside Bore forms in the estuary at this point on high spring tides.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 8.6 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 12° 2° – Wind 11 km/h

18 Sun 12° 3° – Wind 12 km/h

19 Mon 14° 6° 0.3 mm Wind 19 km/h

20 Tue 12° 8° 1.1 mm, 57% Wind 16 km/h

21 Wed 11° 6° 1.6 mm, 55% Wind 21 km/h

22 Thu 10° 2° 6.9 mm, 67% Wind 19 km/h

23 Fri 9° 6° 29 mm, 94% Wind 31 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:11 PM Daylight 10 hr, 27 min First quarter 42%

Map

Other gauges on the River Kent

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Victoria BridgeRiver gauge, River Kent	1.35 m	Normal	−0.03 m	4.0 km
SedgwickRiver gauge, River Kent	0.49 m	Normal	−0.04 m	9.1 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sprint Mill, KendalRiver gauge, River Sprint	0.29 m	Normal	−0.03 m	1.6 km
Mint BridgeRiver gauge, River Mint	0.43 m	Normal	−0.04 m	3.2 km
Staveley VillageRiver gauge, River Gowan	0.44 m	Normal	−0.02 m	3.4 km
Stock Beck, Jewsons YardRiver gauge, Stock Beck	0.27 m	Low	−0.01 m	4.0 km
Calder Drive, KendalRiver gauge, Stock Beck	0.20 m	Normal	−0.01 m	4.5 km
Kendal Buttery Well RoadRiver gauge, Blind Beck	0.08 m	Normal	−0.02 m	4.6 km
Whitbarrow CloseRiver gauge, Stock Beck	0.01 m	Very low	±0	4.7 km
CalgarthRiver gauge, Trout Beck	0.55 m	Normal	−0.05 m	11 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Kent at Bowston compare with last year?

It is 0.11 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.18 m.

What is a normal level for the River Kent at Bowston in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.26 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.18 m and 0.47 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 0.30 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Bowston today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 18:00 BST, the water level was 0.30 m. Down 0.04 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Bowston rising or falling?

Down 0.04 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.18 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Bowston 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 Bowston?

The highest level on record is 2.53 m on December 5, 2015. The lowest is 0.10 m on August 5, 2001.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment Agency
Station code: ea:730120 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 54.36176, -2.77195 (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	0.30 m	2026-10-17 17:00	Provisional

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<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/1225?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Bowston water level"></iframe>

How to cite

Environment Agency: Bowston (ea:730120). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/cumbria/bowston

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