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Water Level Rising
Up 0.08 m since 09:30, still rising (0.16 m/h)
0.19

Clifton Lock

Thames ⚙ Structure
Cherwell Thame and Wye catchment • Long Wittenham • Oxfordshire • ID: 1801TH • Level
(27m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 125 views

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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
0.192 mASD
▲ Rising (+16cm/hr)
24h Max
0.192 mASD
24h Min
-2.156 mASD
Typical Range
0.00 - 0.85
mASD
Highest Recorded
1.93 mASD
EA official record
A 3.39 reading (30 Jan 2026) sits in our unverified raw history and is not treated as the record
Current level is 10% of this
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Flood predictions aren't generated for lock / structure gauges — their levels are driven by gate operation, not by catchment rainfall, so the forecast models would have no skill here.

Recent Readings

Rising · +7 cm over 5h
10 Oct 12:15 ▲▲ +8 cm 0.192 mASD
10 Oct 12:00 ▲ +0.3 cm 0.114 mASD
10 Oct 11:45 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.111 mASD
10 Oct 11:30 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.113 mASD
10 Oct 11:15 ▼ -0.4 cm 0.114 mASD
10 Oct 11:00 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.118 mASD
10 Oct 10:45 ▲ +0.7 cm 0.116 mASD
10 Oct 10:30 ▼ -2 cm 0.109 mASD
10 Oct 10:15 ▼ -2 cm 0.126 mASD
10 Oct 10:00 ▲ +3 cm 0.148 mASD
10 Oct 09:45 ▼ -0.5 cm 0.118 mASD
10 Oct 09:30 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.123 mASD
10 Oct 09:15 ▬ steady 0.124 mASD
10 Oct 09:00 ▬ steady 0.124 mASD
10 Oct 08:45 ▬ steady 0.124 mASD
10 Oct 08:30 ▬ steady 0.124 mASD
10 Oct 08:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.124 mASD
10 Oct 07:45 ▬ steady 0.125 mASD
10 Oct 07:30 ▲ +0.4 cm 0.125 mASD
10 Oct 07:15 0.121 mASD

Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Clifton Lock
  • Watercourse: River Thames
  • Nearest Town: Long Wittenham
  • County: Oxfordshire
  • Nearest reservoir: Farmoor (15.3 km) · 76.0% full (as of 31 Aug 2026)
  • Coordinates: 51°38'55"N 1°12'39"W (51.648617, -1.210808)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 1 Jan 1997
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station (multi-sensor)
Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 1801TH
  • RLOI id: 7085 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 1801TH-level-stage-i-15_min-mASD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mASD
  • Typical rise rate: 10 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: ⚙ Yes — lock, weir, sluice or pump
  • Catchment Area: Cherwell Thame and Wye
  • Typical Range: 0.000 – 0.849 mASD
  • EA Cross-check: 2.00 mASD (EA at 10 Oct 11:45)

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

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.

60 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 4.7 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 59 report not discharging, and for 1 the monitor is offline or has not reported, so their status is not known.

💧
Thames Water · into Moor Ditch · 4.7 km upstream along the river
26 spills · 339 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Ginge Brook · 9.3 km upstream along the river
47 spills · 639 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Thames · 19.7 km upstream along the river
1 spill · 6 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Marcham Brook · 21.6 km upstream along the river
17 spills · 159 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Letcombe Brook · 22.4 km upstream along the river
30 spills · 170 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Seacourt Stream · 25.1 km upstream along the river
7 spills · 48 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into The River Ock · 29.8 km upstream along the river
3 spills · 6 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Cassington (New)🏊 Bathing water
Thames Water · into Thames · 31.8 km upstream along the river
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

52 more further upstream, up to 107.1 km away along the river.

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 Clifton Hampden Ditch · 1.1 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
38 spills · 378 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Odhay Hill Ditch/River Thames · 5.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
13 spills · 112 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...

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2008 for the 19 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 0.1 km away).

79flood warnings 184flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 27 Nov 2024 — River Thames from Days Lock down to South Stoke

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 0 38
2025 0 12
2024 30 17
2023 2 23
2022 0 1
2021 5 7
2020 4 14
2019 1 7
2018 0 8
2017 0 4
2016 0 11
2015 1 3
2014 21 3
2013 1 16
2012 13 14
2010 0 1
2009 1 4
2008 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 Long Wittenham flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 19 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Show 11 more

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Thames at Clifton Lock flooding today?

The current level is 0.19m, which is within the typical range of 0.00 to 0.85m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Clifton Lock?

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

What is a normal level for the River Thames at Clifton Lock?

The typical range at this station is 0.00m to 0.85m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 0.85m 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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📮 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 →