Buildwas water level
River gauge, River Severn, Shropshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Normal for mid-October
Water level
- Flow
- 20.4 m³/s
History
20252026
What this means
The gauge at Buildwas reads 0.59 m, a normal level for mid-October.
The median for mid-October is 0.61 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.01 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.55 m, a difference of +0.04 m.
The water is rising: up 0.16 m over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.34 m and 0.96 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
- 0.61 m0.01 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.43 m – 1.68 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.42 m – 3.40 m
- Same day last year
- 0.55 m+0.04 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.34 m – 0.96 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.35 m – 4.06 m
- Highest on record
- 7.04 mNovember 2, 2000
- Lowest on record
- 0.42 mAugust 16, 1989
On the river at Buildwas
A level in the typical range is usually good news for both anglers and canoeists, but conditions can change quickly after rain in the hills.
Flood warnings for the area come from the Environment Agency.
About the River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, with a length of 220 miles (354 km). It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of 107 m3/s (3,800 cu ft/s) at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales, at an altitude of 610 m (2,000 ft), on the Plynlimon massif, which lies close to the Ceredigion/Powys border near Llanidloes. The river then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. The county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester lie on its course.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 6.8 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Other gauges on the River Severn
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BridgnorthRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.60 m | Normal | +0.11 m | 13 km |
| Welsh BridgeRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.65 m | Normal | +0.06 m | 18 km |
| MontfordRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.96 m | Normal | −0.20 m | 25 km |
| BewdleyRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.42 m | Normal | +0.13 m | 31 km |
| Cae HowelRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.85 m | Lowest on record | +0.18 m | 33 km |
| Crew GreenRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.62 m | Normal | −0.32 m | 34 km |
| Worcester (Barbourne)River gauge, River Severn | 0.43 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 52 km |
| DiglisRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.55 m | Normal | ±0 | 55 km |
| Kempsey Yacht ClubRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.46 m | Lowest on record | −0.02 m | 57 km |
| Saxons LodeRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.00 m³/s | No reference yet | ±0 | 69 km |
| Mythe BridgeRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.40 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 75 km |
| DeerhurstRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.77 m | Normal | ±0 | 78 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WalcotRiver gauge, River Tern | 0.39 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 9.5 km |
| ShifnalRiver gauge, Wesley Brook | 0.15 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 11 km |
| RodingtonRiver gauge, River Roden | 0.17 m | Low | +0.01 m | 11 km |
| CrudgingtonRiver gauge, River Strine | 0.22 m | Normal | −0.06 m | 13 km |
| Boreton BridgeRiver gauge, Cound Brook | 0.10 m | Normal | −0.02 m | 13 km |
| Cosford RiverRiver gauge, River Worfe | 0.08 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 13 km |
| BurcoteRiver gauge, River Worfe | 0.17 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 14 km |
| BurlingtonRiver gauge, River Worfe | 0.12 m | Normal | ±0 | 15 km |
Questions and answers
Is the River Severn at Buildwas higher than last year?
Yes, it is 0.04 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.55 m.
What is a normal level for the River Severn at Buildwas in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.61 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.43 m and 1.68 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 0.59 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Buildwas today?
On 18 Oct 2026, 03:45 BST, the water level was 0.59 m. Up 0.16 m over the last 24 hours.
Is Buildwas rising or falling?
Up 0.16 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.20 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Buildwas 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 Buildwas?
The highest level on record is 7.04 m on November 2, 2000. The lowest is 0.42 m on August 16, 1989.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:2134(Agency page)- Coordinates
52.63635, -2.52496(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 | 0.59 m | 2026-10-18 02:45 | Provisional |
| Flow | 20.4 m³/s | 2026-10-18 02:30 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Buildwas (ea:2134). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/shropshire/buildwas
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