Cae Howel water level
River gauge, River Severn, Shropshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Lower than ever recorded here
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
Low water at Cae Howel: the gauge reads 0.68 m, at a record low.
That is below the previous record low of 0.89 m (June 8, 2019), so the gauge is setting a new low. The median for mid-October is 0.95 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.27 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.79 m, a difference of −0.11 m.
It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.65 m – 1.45 m.
Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.
Compared with the highest and lowest levels the agency has recorded at this gauge. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Median for this date
- 0.95 m0.27 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.94 m – 1.50 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.93 m – 4.78 m
- Same day last year
- 0.79 m−0.11 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.65 m – 1.45 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.66 m – 5.26 m
- Highest on record
- 6.28 mFebruary 21, 2022
- Lowest on record
- 0.89 mJune 8, 2019
- Lowest on record
- 0.22 m below the lowest level on record
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 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: 8.7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew GreenRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.70 m | Normal | −0.18 m | 2.0 km |
| MontfordRiver gauge, River Severn | 1.03 m | Normal | +0.08 m | 7.2 km |
| Welsh BridgeRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.68 m | Normal | +0.15 m | 15 km |
| BuildwasRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.60 m | Normal | +0.16 m | 33 km |
| BridgnorthRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.57 m | Normal | +0.07 m | 44 km |
| BewdleyRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.30 m | Normal | ±0 | 60 km |
| Worcester (Barbourne)River gauge, River Severn | 0.40 m | Lowest on record | −0.04 m | 78 km |
| DiglisRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.52 m | Low | −0.03 m | 81 km |
| Kempsey Yacht ClubRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.44 m | Lowest on record | −0.05 m | 83 km |
| Saxons LodeRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.39 m | Low | ±0 | 94 km |
| Mythe BridgeRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.40 m | Very low | −0.02 m | 99 km |
| DeerhurstRiver gauge, River Severn | 0.77 m | Normal | ±0 | 101 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cae HowelRiver gauge, New Cut | 0.87 m | Low | −0.01 m | 0.1 km |
| Hayes BasinRiver gauge, Field Drain | 0.96 m | Normal | ±0 | 1.6 km |
| Buckley FarmRiver gauge, Pentre Brook | 0.27 m | Normal | ±0 | 1.9 km |
| MaesbrookRiver gauge, Flood Channel | 0.07 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 5.7 km |
| YeatonRiver gauge, River Perry | 0.13 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 9.2 km |
| Farley BridgeRiver gauge, Rea Brook | 0.04 m | Lowest on record | −0.02 m | 10 km |
| LlanyblodwelRiver gauge, River Tanat | 0.31 m | Low | −0.06 m | 11 km |
| HookagateRiver gauge, Rea Brook | 0.13 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 14 km |
Questions and answers
Is the River Severn at Cae Howel higher than last year?
No, it is 0.11 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.79 m.
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 0.68 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Cae Howel today?
On 17 Oct 2026, 21:15 BST, the water level was 0.68 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Cae Howel rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.29 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Cae Howel normal?
Lower than ever recorded here. Compared with the highest and lowest levels the agency has recorded at this gauge.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Cae Howel?
The highest level on record is 6.28 m on February 21, 2022. The lowest is 0.89 m on June 8, 2019.
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:2831(Agency page)- Coordinates
52.74738, -2.97166(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 | 0.68 m | 2026-10-17 20:15 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.
How to cite
Environment Agency: Cae Howel (ea:2831). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/shropshire/cae-howel
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