Gainsborough water level

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

River gauge, River Trent, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Below the normal range

Water level

0.60m Down 0.47 m over the last 24 hours

Measured 19 Oct 2026, 10:45 BST (50 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days

Water level Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range

What this means

Low water at Gainsborough: the gauge reads 0.60 m, below normal.

The usual range here runs from 0.80 m to 5.00 m.

It is still going down, by 0.47 m over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.35 m – 4.18 m.

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

Compared with the normal range the agency publishes for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Normal range: 0.80 m – 5.00 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 0.35 m – 4.18 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.09 m – 2.01 m
Highest on record: 5.68 mNovember 10, 2000
Lowest on record: 0.34 mAugust 5, 1994

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 Trent

The Trent, the third-longest river in the United Kingdom, has its source in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It drains the North Midlands, eventually flowing into the Humber Estuary. The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and spring snowmelt, which in the past have often caused its course to change.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 6.0 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 14° 10° 8.1 mm, 100% Wind 23 km/h

20 Tue 13° 11° 8.5 mm, 82% Wind 13 km/h

21 Wed 13° 8° 4.5 mm, 77% Wind 18 km/h

22 Thu 11° 5° 1.6 mm, 60% Wind 21 km/h

23 Fri 13° 9° 15 mm, 74% Wind 35 km/h

24 Sat 11° 8° 0.6 mm, 51% Wind 32 km/h

25 Sun 17° 9° 0.8 mm, 47% Wind 31 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 06:00 PM Daylight 10 hr, 23 min First quarter 58%

Map

Other gauges on the River Trent

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
TorkseyRiver gauge, River Trent	1.55 m	No reference yet	±0	11 km
KeadbyTidal gauge, River Trent	0.25 m	No reference yet	−1.62 m	22 km
Carlton on TrentRiver gauge, River Trent	2.31 m	Normal	−0.03 m	25 km
North MuskhamRiver gauge, River Trent	0.85 m	Normal	+0.02 m	29 km
FarndonRiver gauge, River Trent	0.31 m	Normal	+0.01 m	37 km
ColwickRiver gauge, River Trent	0.90 m	Very low	−0.19 m	53 km
Clifton BridgeRiver gauge, River Trent	0.88 m	Normal	−0.02 m	58 km
ShardlowRiver gauge, River Trent	0.47 m	Normal	±0	69 km
WillingtonRiver gauge, River Trent	0.87 m	Normal	−0.02 m	80 km
DrakelowRiver gauge, River Trent	1.08 m	Low	+0.01 m	89 km
KnypersleyRiver gauge, River Trent	0.43 m	Normal	+0.01 m	98 km
Kings BromleyRiver gauge, River Trent	0.63 m	Low	−0.01 m	99 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Squires BridgeRiver gauge, River Till	0.90 m	Normal	−0.01 m	11 km
MatterseyRiver gauge, River Idle	0.90 m	Normal	+0.04 m	12 km
Retford Grove LaneRiver gauge, Retford Beck	−0.09 m	Lowest on record	±0	13 km
ScotterRiver gauge, River Eau	0.03 m	Lowest on record	+0.02 m	14 km
OrdsallRiver gauge, River Idle	0.27 m	Normal	±0	14 km
Twyford BridgeRiver gauge, River Poulter	0.99 m	Normal	+0.02 m	18 km
BlythRiver gauge, River Ryton	0.51 m	Normal	+0.05 m	18 km
Brandy WharfRiver gauge, River Ancholme	0.40 m	Normal	−0.01 m	21 km

Questions and answers

What is the typical range for the River Trent at Gainsborough?

The Environment Agency gives a typical range of 0.80 m to 5.00 m for this gauge.

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 0.60 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Gainsborough today?

On 19 Oct 2026, 10:45 BST, the water level was 0.60 m. Down 0.47 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Gainsborough rising or falling?

Down 0.47 m over the last 24 hours. Down 2.50 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Gainsborough normal?

Below the normal range. Compared with the normal range the agency publishes for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Gainsborough?

The highest level on record is 5.68 m on November 10, 2000. The lowest is 0.34 m on August 5, 1994.

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:4099 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 53.39269, -0.77683 (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	0.60 m	2026-10-19 09:45	Provisional

Download

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<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/1793?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Gainsborough water level"></iframe>

How to cite

Environment Agency: Gainsborough (ea:4099). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/nottinghamshire/gainsborough

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