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Colsterworth water level

River gauge, River Witham, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.08m Steady over the last 24 hours

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 Highest onrecord 1.62 m Lowest on record 0.01 m

History

History
0.100.150.20mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 18Oct 19Bottom of normal range0.100.150.20mOct 16Oct 17Oct 19Bottom of normal range
0.30.50.8mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.30.50.8mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.20.4mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.20.4mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Colsterworth: the gauge reads 0.08 m, below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 0.10 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.02 m below typical. A year ago it stood at 0.08 m as well.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.07 m – 0.12 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
0.10 m0.02 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.07 m – 0.19 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.08 m – 0.77 m
Same day last year
0.08 m0.00 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.07 m – 0.12 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.07 m – 0.51 m
Highest on record
1.62 mJanuary 6, 2025
Lowest on record
0.01 mMarch 4, 1980

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 Witham

River Witham

The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in eastern England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at SK8818, passes through the centre of Grantham, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh. The mouth of the river moved in 1014 following severe flooding, and Boston became important as a port.

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

18 Sun 12° 7° 1.1 mm, 57% Wind 25 km/h
19 Mon 13° 8° 11 mm, 100% Wind 20 km/h
20 Tue 12° 10° 14 mm, 69% Wind 12 km/h
21 Wed 13° 6° 6.8 mm, 47% Wind 30 km/h
22 Thu 10° 4° 0.3 mm, 49% Wind 19 km/h
23 Fri 13° 6° 26 mm, 75% Wind 40 km/h
24 Sat 12° 5° 2.8 mm, 36% Wind 28 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:36 AM Sunset 06:01 PM Daylight 10 hr, 25 min First quarter 58%

Map

Other gauges on the River Witham

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
North WithamRiver gauge, River Witham 0.12 m Normal ±0 3.0 km
SaltersfordRiver gauge, River Witham 0.03 m Very low +0.02 m 8.9 km
HoughamRiver gauge, River Witham 0.93 m Normal +0.15 m 20 km
ClaypoleRiver gauge, River Witham 0.13 m Normal +0.03 m 25 km
Langrick BridgeRiver gauge, River Witham 1.28 m Normal ±0 41 km
Chapel HillRiver gauge, River Witham 1.05 m Normal +0.01 m 41 km
North HykehamRiver gauge, River Witham 0.23 m Normal +0.01 m 41 km
BracebridgeRiver gauge, River Witham 0.37 m Normal +0.01 m 44 km
Kirkstead BridgeRiver gauge, River Witham 0.77 m Normal +0.02 m 45 km
Brayford PoolRiver gauge, River Witham 0.29 m Normal +0.01 m 47 km
Stamp End SluiceRiver gauge, River Witham 0.89 m Normal ±0 47 km
BardneyRiver gauge, River Witham 0.90 m Normal +0.08 m 48 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Burton CogglesRiver gauge, West Glen River −0.12 m Lowest on record +0.01 m 6.0 km
Castle BythamRiver gauge, River Tham 0.26 m Normal ±0 8.5 km
Little BythamRiver gauge, River Tham 0.03 m Normal ±0 11 km
IrnhamRiver gauge, East Glen River 0.03 m Normal +0.03 m 11 km
WoolsthorpeRiver gauge, River Devon 0.57 m Normal +0.02 m 13 km
AllingtonRiver gauge, Foston Beck 0.09 m Normal +0.06 m 16 km
Melton ParkRiver gauge, River Wreake 0.80 m Normal +0.01 m 19 km
Shillingthorpe GS WitsRiver gauge 0.05 m Normal ±0 20 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Witham at Colsterworth higher than last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.08 m.

What is a normal level for the River Witham at Colsterworth in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.10 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.07 m and 0.19 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 0.08 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Colsterworth today?

On 19 Oct 2026, 11:45 BST, the water level was 0.08 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Colsterworth rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Colsterworth normal?

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 Colsterworth?

The highest level on record is 1.62 m on January 6, 2025. The lowest is 0.01 m on March 4, 1980.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:E1652 (Agency page)
Coordinates
52.81094, -0.62316 (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 0.08 m 2026-10-19 10:45 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Colsterworth (ea:E1652). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/lincolnshire/colsterworth

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.