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Water Level Falling
Down from 0.15 at 16:30, now 0.09
0.09

Bromley South

Ravensbourne
London catchment • Bromley • Greater London • ID: 4319TH • Level
(32m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 151 views

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⤴ Unusual rise — FloodRadar+Top 1% rise rate for this gauge.
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Not an emergency service — if in danger call 999. Alerts rely on EA/SEPA/NRW data and are best-efforts. Terms

Current Level
0.090 mASD
▼ Falling
24h Max
0.146 mASD
24h Min
0.047 mASD
Typical Range
0.05 - 1.85
mASD
Highest Recorded
1.04 mASD
29 May 2013
Since Mar 1993
Current level is 9% of this
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Recent Readings

Rising · +4 cm over 5h
09 Oct 19:15 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.090 mASD
09 Oct 19:00 ▲ +0.6 cm 0.092 mASD
09 Oct 18:45 ▼ -0.7 cm 0.086 mASD
09 Oct 18:30 ▼ -1 cm 0.093 mASD
09 Oct 18:15 ▼ -2 cm 0.105 mASD
09 Oct 18:00 ▼ -2 cm 0.122 mASD
09 Oct 17:45 ▼ -0.5 cm 0.141 mASD
09 Oct 17:30 ▲ +5 cm 0.146 mASD
09 Oct 17:15 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.097 mASD
09 Oct 17:00 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.099 mASD
09 Oct 16:45 ▲ +4 cm 0.098 mASD
09 Oct 16:30 ▲ +0.8 cm 0.055 mASD
09 Oct 16:15 ▬ steady 0.047 mASD
09 Oct 16:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.047 mASD
09 Oct 15:45 ▬ steady 0.048 mASD
09 Oct 15:30 ▬ steady 0.048 mASD
09 Oct 15:15 ▬ steady 0.048 mASD
09 Oct 15:00 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.048 mASD
09 Oct 14:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.047 mASD
09 Oct 14:30 0.048 mASD

Station Details

Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 4319TH
  • RLOI id: 7313 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 4319TH-level-stage-i-15_min-mASD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mASD
  • Typical rise rate: 4 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: London
  • Typical Range: 0.052 – 1.850 mASD
  • Drainage Area: 10 km² upstream of this gauge
  • Flow Data: Daily mean flow (m³/s) to 7 Oct (2 days behind — the EA publishes each day's mean a day or two after it ends; unchecked, provisional) via EA Hydrology
  • EA Cross-check: 0.09 mASD (EA at 9 Oct 19:15)
  • Flow Archive: National River Flow Archive ↗

Geographic coordinates may reflect the access point for the gauge, and not the precise location in the watercourse that it is taking readings from.

Nearby Stations

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.

Connected upstream

Connected downstream

Same river system, separate branch

Nearby

Distances by river: OS Open Rivers. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

💧 Storm overflows upstream of this gauge

None of the storm overflows FloodRadar holds is traced upstream of this gauge on the mapped river network. That is not the same as none: the map leaves out many small streams and culverts, so an overflow it cannot place may still drain here, and not every company publishes every overflow. Those nearby are listed below.

Nearby, connection not known

Within 6 km in a straight line, but the river map cannot say whether their water passes this gauge.

💧
Thames Water · into Freshwater River · 5.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
33 spills · 62 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Chaffinch Brook · 5.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
4 spills · 5 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

1 other overflow within 6 km is downstream of this gauge or on another branch of the river network, so it is 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.

Rainfall & Weather

Loading rainfall and weather data...

How often this river runs high

This gauge rarely reaches its typical high of 1.85 m: 0 days since 2017. This year so far: 0 days.

2026 0 days so far
2025 0 days
2024 0 days
2023 0 days
2022 0 days
2021 0 days
2020 0 days
2019 0 days
2018 0 days
2017 0 days

Counted from each day's highest reading. Days with missing or implausible readings are left out.

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2011 for the 12 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 0.4 km away).

14flood warnings 96flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 27 Sep 2024 — Chaffinch Brook and St James Stream at Elmers End

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 0 3
2025 0 3
2024 2 8
2023 0 2
2022 1 9
2021 2 12
2020 1 6
2019 2 8
2018 0 8
2017 0 8
2016 2 5
2015 0 2
2014 0 8
2013 4 6
2012 0 7
2011 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 Bromley flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 12 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Show 4 more

Catchment Character

🌊 Urban & flashy Heavily built-up — rain runs off hard surfaces fast, so levels can spike within hours of heavy rain.

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).

Baseflow Index
0.69
groundwater-fed — slow & steady
Avg Annual Rainfall
673 mm/yr
1991–2020 · -4% since 1941–70
Urban Extent
48%
heavily urbanised
Median Annual Flood
4.85 m³/s
QMED — typical yearly peak flow
Highest Daily Mean Flow
1.43 m³/s
23 Dec 2013 · daily mean, not the instantaneous peak
Flow-Duration Curve
mean 0.0440.1670.0200.0085% (high)% of days exceeded95% (low)
Daily flow (m³/s) exceeded each % of the time — a steep curve is flashy, a flat one is steady. Q5 high · Q50 median · Q95 low.
Land Cover (2023)
Woodland 9%Grassland 19%Arable 2%Urban 70%

Photos

Gauging-station photographs from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).

Photos © NRFA / UKCEH & the measuring authority — shown at web resolution. Full gallery on the NRFA ↗

About this gauge

Flat V weir (1:10 cross slope) with vertical wing walls. Very responsive flow regime.

More detail

The catchment

The Ravensbourne rises from springs fed by Tertiary Sandstones (in Holwood Park). The majority of the lower catchment is mainly impervious, due to Eocene clay deposits and high levels of urban development (South London).

The station

Flat V weir (1:10 cross slope) with vertical wing walls. Straight approach with no significant modification to flow regime. Original structure built in 1962 as a critical depth flume. The structure was rebuilt in 1992.

How it measures flow

Full range station, which has been theoretically rated (standard Flat V weir calculation). Higher gaugings show the structure appears to over-estimate higher flows. More gaugings are needed, but due to responsive regime it is difficult to capture high flow gaugings.

Flow regime

Very responsive flow regime.

The flow record

Full period of record peak flow data reviewed and released in September 2019 (WINFAP Files v8).

Descriptions from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH). NRFA station record ↗

Gauge Details

How this gauging station is built and how long it has measured (NRFA / UKCEH).

Gauge type
Flat-V weir
Operating since
1993
Station datum
48.3 mAOD
Flow record
1993–2024 · 31 yrs · 100% complete
Peak-flow record
since 1962
Hydrometric area
39
Measured by
Environment Agency

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Ravensbourne at Bromley South flooding today?

The current level is 0.09m, which is within the typical range of 0.05 to 1.85m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Bromley South?

Based on the most recent readings, the level is currently falling. The chart above shows the last 12 hours of measurements by default (up to 7 days), updated roughly every 15 minutes.

Why is the level slowly falling?

When little or no rain has fallen for a while, a river level gradually drops as the water stored in the ground and soil drains away with nothing to replace it. This is called baseflow recession and is normal in dry spells. A gentle decline like this is expected and is not a sign of a problem — downstream gauges often recede a little faster than headwaters further upstream, and levels recover once rain returns.

What is a normal level for the River Ravensbourne at Bromley South?

The typical range at this station is 0.05m to 1.85m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 1.85m are higher than usually seen and may indicate a flood risk.

How often is this river level data updated?

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.

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Free live river-level widget — ideal for parish councils, angling clubs and local sites. Updates automatically.

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📮 Flood risk by postcode near this gauge

Postcodes within 5 km with properties in the Environment Agency’s rivers-and-sea flood-risk bands:

Check any UK postcode’s flood risk →

🏠 Buying or renting around here? Get the Property Flood-Risk Report for any English postcode — official risk band, recorded floods, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off. Learn more →