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Caversham Lock water level

River gauge, River Thames, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

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Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.14m Steady over the last 24 hours

0.0 0.5 1.0 Highest onrecord 1.02 m Lowest on record -0.19 m

History

History
0.10.20.3mOct 11Oct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.10.20.3mOct 11Oct 14Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.10.20.3mSep 18Sep 25Oct 2Oct 10Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.10.20.3mSep 18Oct 2Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
-0.30.00.3mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range-0.30.00.3mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
-0.30.00.3mJanMarMayJulSepNov2026-0.30.00.3mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Caversham Lock: the gauge reads 0.14 m, below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.03 m below the median of 0.17 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.15 m (−0.01 m).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.06 m – 0.20 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
0.17 m0.03 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.13 m – 0.23 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.07 m – 0.30 m
Same day last year
0.15 m−0.01 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.06 m – 0.20 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
−0.34 m – 0.44 m
Highest on record
1.02 mJune 16, 2003
Lowest on record
−0.19 mJanuary 10, 2001

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 Thames

River Thames

The River Thames, or simply the Thames, known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.

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

17 Sat 13° 7° 0.1 mm Wind 19 km/h
18 Sun 12° 7° 1.2 mm, 56% Wind 19 km/h
19 Mon 12° 8° 1.1 mm, 60% Wind 19 km/h
20 Tue 13° 9° 7.3 mm, 35% Wind 11 km/h
21 Wed 13° 8° 4.4 mm, 50% Wind 39 km/h
22 Thu 13° 7° 0.6 mm, 41% Wind 30 km/h
23 Fri 13° 6° 4.2 mm, 59% Wind 31 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:31 AM Sunset 06:09 PM Daylight 10 hr, 37 min First quarter 44%

Map

Other gauges on the River Thames

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
ReadingRiver gauge, River Thames 6.69 m Normal +0.01 m 0.3 km
Sonning LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.24 m Very high ±0 3.5 km
Mapledurham LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.07 m Normal +0.01 m 6.0 km
Shiplake LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.04 m Low +0.01 m 7.0 km
Whitchurch LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.01 m Very low ±0 9.1 km
Marsh LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.24 m Normal ±0 9.3 km
Hambleden LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.09 m Normal ±0 13 km
Goring LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.00 m Very low ±0 14 km
Cleeve LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.14 m Very high ±0 14 km
Hurley LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.05 m Low ±0 15 km
Temple LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.03 m Low ±0 16 km
Marlow LockRiver gauge, River Thames 0.07 m Low ±0 18 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Blakes LockRiver gauge, River Kennet 0.07 m Low ±0 0.8 km
TwyfordRiver gauge, River Loddon 0.99 m Normal +0.02 m 6.3 km
Reading Calcot BridgeRiver gauge, River Kennet 1.81 m Low −0.01 m 6.6 km
Arborfield BridgeRiver gauge, River Loddon 0.13 m Very low ±0 6.7 km
SulhamRiver gauge, Sulham Brook 0.03 m Very low −0.01 m 7.9 km
TidmarshRiver gauge, River Pang 1.23 m Very high +0.02 m 8.5 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Thames at Caversham Lock compare with last year?

It is 0.01 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.15 m.

What is a normal level for the River Thames at Caversham Lock in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.17 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.13 m and 0.23 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 0.14 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Caversham Lock today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 23:30 BST, the water level was 0.14 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Caversham Lock rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Caversham Lock 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 Caversham Lock?

The highest level on record is 1.02 m on June 16, 2003. The lowest is −0.19 m on January 10, 2001.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:2201TH (Agency page)
Coordinates
51.46081, -0.96364 (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 0.14 m 2026-10-17 22:30 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Caversham Lock (ea:2201TH). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/oxfordshire/caversham-lock

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.