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Temple water level

River gauge, River Lark, Suffolk, United Kingdom

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Right now

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.20m Steady over the last 24 hours

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 Highest onrecord 1.46 m Lowest on record 0.06 m

History

History
0.20.3mOct 16Oct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 17Bottom of normal range0.20.3mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Bottom of normal range
0.20.40.6mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.20.40.6mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.20.40.6mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.20.40.6mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Temple: the gauge reads 0.20 m, far below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.07 m below the median of 0.27 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.20 m as well. The lowest reading on record is 0.06 m (August 20, 2009).

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 0.19 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
0.27 m0.07 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.20 m – 0.34 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.15 m – 0.62 m
Same day last year
0.20 m0.00 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.19 m – 0.20 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.16 m – 0.61 m
Highest on record
1.46 mJanuary 30, 1988
Lowest on record
0.06 mAugust 20, 2009

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 Lark

River Lark

The River Lark crosses the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in England. It is a chalk river and a tributary of the River Great Ouse, and was extended when that river was re-routed as part of drainage improvements. It is thought to have been used for navigation since Roman times, and improvements to its navigability were made in 1638 and in the early 18th century, when locks and staunches were built. Special powers to improve the river from Mildenhall to Bury St Edmunds were granted by statute. The upper terminus was on the northern edge of Bury St Edmunds, but a new dock was opened near the railway station after the Eastern Union Railway opened its line in 1846.

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

17 Sat 13° 6° 0.1 mm, 33% Wind 21 km/h
18 Sun 13° 6° 2.7 mm, 63% Wind 23 km/h
19 Mon 13° 10° 2.7 mm, 51% Wind 14 km/h
20 Tue 15° 12° 3.8 mm, 31% Wind 16 km/h
21 Wed 14° 9° 4.8 mm, 39% Wind 26 km/h
22 Thu 12° 7° 3.4 mm, 26% Wind 37 km/h
23 Fri 12° 7° 2.8 mm, 54% Wind 28 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:26 AM Sunset 06:01 PM Daylight 10 hr, 35 min First quarter 39%

Map

Other gauges on the River Lark

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Barton Mills SluiceRiver gauge, River Lark 0.09 m Very low ±0 3.3 km
Fornham St MartinRiver gauge, River Lark 0.03 m Low −0.01 m 11 km
IslehamRiver gauge, River Lark 2.12 m Normal ±0 11 km
SicklesmereRiver gauge, River Lark 0.22 m Low ±0 17 km
CloptonRiver gauge, River Lark 0.27 m Normal ±0 49 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Beck BridgeRiver gauge, River Kennett −0.11 m Lowest on record ±0 9.5 km
OusdenRiver gauge, River Kennett 0.23 m Low ±0 14 km
Little OuseRiver gauge, River Little Ouse 1.60 m Low +0.01 m 14 km
Thetford Coffee Mill SluiceRiver gauge, River Thet 0.55 m Low +0.02 m 15 km
Abbey HeathRiver gauge, River Little Ouse 0.08 m Very low −0.02 m 15 km
FordhamRiver gauge, River Snail 0.09 m Very low −0.01 m 16 km
MelfordRiver gauge, River Thet 0.09 m Low −0.01 m 16 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Lark at Temple compare with last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.20 m.

What is a normal level for the River Lark at Temple in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.27 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.20 m and 0.34 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 0.20 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Temple today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 10:30 BST, the water level was 0.20 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Temple rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Temple normal?

Very 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 Temple?

The highest level on record is 1.46 m on January 30, 1988. The lowest is 0.06 m on August 20, 2009.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:E22358 (Agency page)
Coordinates
52.32642, 0.57842 (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 0.20 m 2026-10-17 09:30 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: Temple (ea:E22358). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/suffolk/temple

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.