Castle Howe water level
River gauge, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cumbria, United Kingdom
Right now
Very high for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
Bassenthwaite Lake at Castle Howe is well above normal at 1.56 m.
That puts it 0.50 m above the median of 1.06 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.96 m (+0.60 m). The record high is 5.16 m, set on December 6, 2015.
It has dropped 0.04 m over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.56 m and 1.60 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
- 1.06 m0.50 m above the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.82 m – 1.55 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.66 m – 2.07 m
- Same day last year
- 0.96 m+0.60 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 1.56 m – 1.60 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.60 m – 2.55 m
- Highest on record
- 5.16 mDecember 6, 2015
- Lowest on record
- 0.07 mMay 5, 2011
Flood levels and safety
A high reading on its own does not mean property is at risk. The warnings issued by the Environment Agency take local defences and the forecast into account.
Readings can change quickly after heavy rain upstream, so check again before heading near the water.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ouse BridgeRiver gauge, River Derwent | 1.32 m | High | −0.05 m | 1.4 km |
| Southwaite BridgeRiver gauge, River Cocker | 0.71 m | High | −0.09 m | 7.7 km |
| South Street FootbridgeRiver gauge, River Cocker | 1.18 m | High | −0.08 m | 8.0 km |
| PortinscaleRiver gauge, River Derwent | 0.88 m | High | −0.10 m | 8.5 km |
| Kingfisher, CockermouthRiver gauge, River Derwent | 1.12 m | Normal | −0.05 m | 8.6 km |
| Keswick CampsiteRiver gauge, River Greta | 0.89 m | High | −0.12 m | 9.2 km |
| Greta BridgeRiver gauge, River Greta | 1.21 m | Normal | −0.07 m | 9.2 km |
| Scalehill Upper Lorton ValleyRiver gauge, River Cocker | 0.82 m | High | −0.11 m | 11 km |
Questions and answers
How does Bassenthwaite Lake at Castle Howe compare with last year?
It is 0.60 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.96 m.
What is a normal level for Bassenthwaite Lake at Castle Howe in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 1.06 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.82 m and 1.55 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 1.56 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Castle Howe today?
On 17 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST, the water level was 1.56 m. Down 0.04 m over the last 24 hours.
Is Castle Howe rising or falling?
Down 0.04 m over the last 24 hours.
Is the level of Castle Howe normal?
Very 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 Castle Howe?
The highest level on record is 5.16 m on December 6, 2015. The lowest is 0.07 m on May 5, 2011.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:751020(Agency page)- Coordinates
54.66624, -3.23692(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 | 1.56 m | 2026-10-17 11:00 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Castle Howe (ea:751020). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/cumbria/castle-howe
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