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South Cerney water level

River gauge, River Churn, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

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Right now

Lower than ever recorded here

Water level

0.27m Steady over the last 24 hours

0.5 1.0 1.5 Highest onrecord 1.47 m Lowest on record 0.30 m

History

History
0.40.6mOct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 18Bottom of normal range0.40.6mOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Bottom of normal range
0.40.6mSep 18Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18Bottom of normal range0.40.6mSep 18Oct 3Oct 18Bottom of normal range
0.51.0mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.51.0mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.51.0mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.51.0mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at South Cerney: the gauge reads 0.27 m, at a record low.

That is below the previous record low of 0.30 m (December 10, 2011), so the gauge is setting a new low. The median for mid-October is 0.41 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.14 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.32 m, a difference of −0.05 m.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.27 m – 0.33 m.

Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.

Compared with the highest and lowest levels the agency has recorded at this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
0.41 m0.14 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.28 m – 0.79 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.35 m – 1.31 m
Same day last year
0.32 m−0.05 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.27 m – 0.33 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.27 m – 1.26 m
Highest on record
1.47 mNovember 26, 2012
Lowest on record
0.30 mDecember 10, 2011
Lowest on record
0.03 m below the lowest level on record

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 Churn

River Churn

The River Churn is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises at Seven Springs in Gloucestershire and flows south for approximately 37.3 km (23.2 mi) to meet the Thames at Cricklade in Wiltshire. Its length from its source to the confluence with the Thames is greater than that of the Thames from Thames Head, but the Churn is regarded as a tributary, rather than the main river.

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

18 Sun 12° 6° 0.5 mm, 32% Wind 29 km/h
19 Mon 14° 8° 6.2 mm, 94% Wind 21 km/h
20 Tue 12° 7° 7.2 mm, 75% Wind 9 km/h
21 Wed 12° 5° 4.8 mm, 63% Wind 26 km/h
22 Thu 13° 5° 0.7 mm, 67% Wind 16 km/h
23 Fri 9° 6° 22 mm, 80% Wind 33 km/h
24 Sat 10° 4° 0.5 mm, 56% Wind 28 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 06:10 PM Daylight 10 hr, 33 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the River Churn

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Cerney WickRiver gauge, River Churn −0.09 m Very low ±0 3.1 km
CirencesterRiver gauge, River Churn 0.09 m Very low ±0 6.2 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Somerford KeynesRiver gauge, River Thames 0.44 m Low ±0 3.7 km
EwenRiver gauge, River Thames −0.02 m Normal ±0 3.9 km
Ampney St PeterRiver gauge, Ampney Brook 0.07 m Very low ±0 5.1 km
CrickladeRiver gauge, River Thames 0.04 m Very low ±0 5.6 km
Sheeppen BridgeRiver gauge, Ampney Brook −0.12 m Low ±0 6.2 km
OakseyRiver gauge, Swill Brook −0.30 m Lowest on record ±0 6.8 km
Purton StokeRiver gauge, River Key 0.50 m Low ±0 7.9 km
Whetstone BridgeRiver gauge, Marston Meysey Brook 0.08 m Normal ±0 8.1 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Churn at South Cerney higher than last year?

No, it is 0.05 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.32 m.

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 South Cerney today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 21:30 BST, the water level was 0.27 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is South Cerney rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of South Cerney normal?

Lower than ever recorded here. Compared with the highest and lowest levels the agency has recorded at this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at South Cerney?

The highest level on record is 1.47 m on November 26, 2012. The lowest is 0.30 m on December 10, 2011.

How often is this data updated?

The Environment Agency publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:0278TH (Agency page)
Coordinates
51.67390, -1.93415 (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 0.27 m 2026-10-18 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: South Cerney (ea:0278TH). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/gloucestershire/south-cerney

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.