FloodRadar
Log inCreate free account
FloodRadar
Log inCreate free account
Get notified about Leighton Buzzard — tick as many as you like, they all share the notify settings below.
Each one is saved as its own alert — pause or remove them individually any time.
Not an emergency service — if in danger call 999. Alerts rely on EA/SEPA/NRW data and are best-efforts. Terms
A separate gauge 2.9 m from this one at the same site, shown here for context. Its readings are its own and are never merged with this page's.
Geographic coordinates may reflect the access point for the gauge, and not the precise location in the watercourse that it is taking readings from.
Gauges connected to this river, and others nearby. A distance “by river” follows the river on the map; any other is in a straight line.
Distances by river: OS Open Rivers. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.
Storm overflows whose water reaches this gauge on the mapped river network, nearest first by distance along the river. The status is each water company's monitor: it says whether an overflow is discharging, not how much or what it contains.
3 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 7.6 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 3 report not discharging.
Within 6 km in a straight line, but the river map cannot say whether their water passes this gauge.
4 other overflows within 6 km are downstream of this gauge or on another branch of the river network, so they are not listed.
These are the water companies' monitor statuses; a spill does not by itself explain a change in the gauge level. River connections and distances are traced on OS Open Rivers (edition 2026-04), which leaves out many small channels. Explore the sewage map →
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.
Loading rainfall and weather data...
In a typical year this gauge reaches its typical high of 0.33 m on about 69 days. This year so far: 26 days.
Counted from each day's highest reading. Days with missing or implausible readings are left out. The darker part is days above 1.12 m, the level this gauge tops only a few days a year.
Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2019 for the 5 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 0.9 km away).
Most recent flood warning: 27 Sep 2024 — River Ouzel at Leighton Buzzard, Stoke Hammond and Great Brickhill
| Year | Warnings | Alerts |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 | 3 |
| 2024 | 26 | 11 |
| 2021 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 | 3 |
| 2019 | 0 | 1 |
Warnings apply to a whole flood area, not necessarily this exact spot. Years before 2006 aren't covered by the EA's historic record. See also the Leighton Buzzard flood history.
Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 5 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.
Your catchment is all the land that drains rainfall into the river above this gauge. Its character — how steep, wet, wooded, urban or chalky that land is — decides how fast rain here turns into a rising river. A steep, bare or clay catchment is “flashy” (rises and falls quickly, floods easily); a flat, chalk or well-wooded one is slow and steady. The tiles below put numbers to that; the flow-duration curve reads left-to-right from the river’s typical high flows (Q5) down to its low flows (Q95) — a steep curve means a flashy river.
The physical character of the land that drains to this gauge, and how it shapes its flood response — from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).
Flow affected by: groundwater abstraction, effluent returns, industrial / agricultural abstraction.
Gauging-station photographs from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).
21 Sep 2018 View across weir showing pre-barrage fish pass
21 Sep 2018 View upstream to weir
21 Sep 2018 View downstream to weir
24 Nov 2016 Leighton Buzzard High Flow Non Modular looking downstream
Photos © NRFA / UKCEH & the measuring authority — shown at web resolution. Full gallery on the NRFA ↗
Structure gauging a predominantly rural catchment with Chalk bedrock and with some artificial influences. Some flow diverted immediately u/s of station.
Descriptions from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH). NRFA station record ↗
How this gauging station is built and how long it has measured (NRFA / UKCEH).
The current level is 0.00m, which is below the typical range. Flooding is very unlikely at this level.
The typical range at this station is 0.06m to 0.33m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 0.33m are higher than usually seen and may indicate a flood risk.
Readings are supplied by the Environment Agency gauge. FloodRadar checks for updates roughly every 15 minutes; the timestamp above shows how recent the latest available reading is.
Free live river-level widget — ideal for parish councils, angling clubs and local sites. Updates automatically.
Postcodes within 5 km with properties in the Environment Agency’s rivers-and-sea flood-risk bands:
FloodRadar helper · beta