Reading water level

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

River gauge, River Thames, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

6.68m Up 0.01 m over the last 24 hours

Measured 17 Oct 2026, 15:30 BST (2 hours ago)

Flow: 3.77 m³/s

History

7 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Reading, where the gauge shows 6.68 m.

That puts it 0.01 m below the median of 6.70 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 6.70 m (−0.02 m).

It is on the way up, by 0.01 m over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 6.68 m – 6.70 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: 6.70 m0.01 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 6.66 m – 6.77 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range: 6.58 m – 7.00 m
Same day last year: 6.70 m−0.02 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 6.68 m – 6.70 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 6.64 m – 6.87 m
Highest on record: 7.54 mJanuary 7, 2024
Lowest on record: 6.30 mJanuary 10, 2001

For anglers and canoeists

This is an ordinary level for the river: most put-ins, beats and weirs behave as they usually do.

Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.

About the 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.

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° 6° 0.1 mm Wind 17 km/h

18 Sun 13° 7° 2.5 mm, 56% Wind 20 km/h

19 Mon 14° 9° 0.3 mm, 60% Wind 14 km/h

20 Tue 13° 10° 1.9 mm, 35% Wind 12 km/h

21 Wed 13° 8° 1.8 mm, 50% Wind 21 km/h

22 Thu 15° 5° 1.5 mm, 41% Wind 19 km/h

23 Fri 14° 7° 18 mm, 59% Wind 38 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:31 AM Sunset 06:09 PM Daylight 10 hr, 37 min First quarter 41%

Map

Other gauges on the River Thames

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Caversham LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.13 m	Low	±0	0.3 km
Sonning LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.24 m	Very high	+0.02 m	3.7 km
Mapledurham LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.05 m	Low	−0.01 m	5.7 km
Shiplake LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.03 m	Very low	−0.01 m	7.2 km
Whitchurch LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.02 m	Very low	+0.01 m	8.8 km
Marsh LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.23 m	Normal	±0	9.4 km
Hambleden LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.09 m	Normal	±0	13 km
Goring LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.00 m	Very low	+0.01 m	14 km
Cleeve LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.14 m	Very high	+0.01 m	14 km
Hurley LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.06 m	Normal	+0.02 m	15 km
Temple LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.02 m	Low	+0.01 m	16 km
Marlow LockRiver gauge, River Thames	0.06 m	Low	±0	18 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Blakes LockRiver gauge, River Kennet	0.07 m	Low	+0.01 m	1.1 km
Reading Calcot BridgeRiver gauge, River Kennet	1.82 m	Low	+0.01 m	6.4 km
TwyfordRiver gauge, River Loddon	0.98 m	Normal	+0.01 m	6.6 km
Arborfield BridgeRiver gauge, River Loddon	0.18 m	Low	+0.03 m	6.9 km
SulhamRiver gauge, Sulham Brook	0.03 m	Very low	±0	7.6 km
TidmarshRiver gauge, River Pang	1.21 m	High	±0	8.2 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Thames at Reading compare with last year?

It is 0.02 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 6.70 m.

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

The median for mid-October is 6.70 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 6.66 m and 6.77 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 6.68 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Reading today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 15:30 BST, the water level was 6.68 m. Up 0.01 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Reading rising or falling?

Up 0.01 m over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Reading normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Reading?

The highest level on record is 7.54 m on January 7, 2024. The lowest is 6.30 m on January 10, 2001.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment Agency
Station code: ea:2200TH (Agency page)
Coordinates: 51.46133, -0.96788 (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	6.68 m	2026-10-17 14:30	Provisional
Flow	3.77 m³/s	2026-10-17 14:30	Provisional

Download

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<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/533?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Reading water level"></iframe>

How to cite

Environment Agency: Reading (ea:2200TH). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/oxfordshire/reading

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