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Water Level Rising Slightly
Up 0.03 m since 15:15, rising slightly
0.23

Sonning Lock

Thames ⚙ Structure
Vale of White Horse catchment • Sonning • Oxfordshire • ID: 2301TH • Level
(32m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 171 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
0.226 mASD
▲ Rising slightly
24h Max
0.240 mASD
24h Min
0.200 mASD
Typical Range
0.07 - 0.26
mASD
Highest Recorded
1.05 mASD
EA official record
0.82 in our data (since Nov 2012)
Current level is 22% 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

Falling · -0.6 cm over 5h
09 Oct 19:15 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.226 mASD
09 Oct 19:00 ▬ steady 0.224 mASD
09 Oct 18:45 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.224 mASD
09 Oct 18:30 ▼ -1.0 cm 0.226 mASD
09 Oct 18:15 ▲ +0.5 cm 0.236 mASD
09 Oct 18:00 ▼ -0.9 cm 0.231 mASD
09 Oct 17:45 ▲ +2 cm 0.240 mASD
09 Oct 17:30 ▼ -1 cm 0.222 mASD
09 Oct 17:15 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.233 mASD
09 Oct 17:00 ▲ +1 cm 0.231 mASD
09 Oct 16:45 ▼ -0.7 cm 0.221 mASD
09 Oct 16:30 ▲ +3 cm 0.228 mASD
09 Oct 16:15 ▼ -3 cm 0.200 mASD
09 Oct 16:00 ▲ +0.9 cm 0.234 mASD
09 Oct 15:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.225 mASD
09 Oct 15:30 ▼ -0.6 cm 0.226 mASD
09 Oct 15:15 ▲ +0.5 cm 0.232 mASD
09 Oct 15:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.227 mASD
09 Oct 14:45 ▼ -0.4 cm 0.228 mASD
09 Oct 14:30 0.232 mASD

Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Sonning Lock
  • Watercourse: River Thames
  • Nearest Town: Sonning
  • County: Oxfordshire
  • Coordinates: 51°28'23"N 0°55'4"W (51.473138, -0.917727)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 1 Jan 1995
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station (multi-sensor)
Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 2301TH
  • RLOI id: 7132 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 2301TH-level-stage-i-15_min-mASD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mASD
  • Typical rise rate: 9 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: Vale of White Horse
  • Typical Range: 0.068 – 0.257 mASD
  • EA Cross-check: 0.23 mASD (EA at 9 Oct 19:15)

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

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.

84 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 7.5 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 82 report not discharging, and for 2 the monitor is offline or has not reported, so their status is not known.

💧
Thames Water · into Foudry Brook · 7.5 km upstream along the river
14 spills · 169 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Foudry Brook · 17.2 km upstream along the river
40 spills · 689 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into River Thames · 23.9 km upstream along the river
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
No live feed for this overflow
💧
Thames Water · into Silchester Brook · 25.1 km upstream along the river
42 spills · 761 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Tributary Of River Bourne · 27.0 km upstream along the river
21 spills · 253 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
Placed on the river by its position alone.
💧
Thames Water · into Cholsey Brook · 30.7 km upstream along the river
4 spills · 44 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Kennet · 35.6 km upstream along the river
28 spills · 381 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Mill Brook · 36.3 km upstream along the river
137 spills · 2,721 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

76 more further upstream, up to 151.9 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 Thames · 2.6 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Holly Brook · 3.3 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Into Land · 5.3 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
0 spills · 0 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 2009 for the 15 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 1.0 km away).

84flood warnings 280flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 16 Feb 2026 — River Thames at Purley Village

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 3 23
2025 0 17
2024 17 33
2023 1 30
2022 0 6
2021 4 15
2020 8 28
2019 4 12
2018 1 12
2017 0 5
2016 0 21
2015 0 6
2014 24 13
2013 11 26
2012 10 24
2011 0 5
2010 0 2
2009 1 2

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 Sonning flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 15 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Show 7 more

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Thames at Sonning Lock flooding today?

The current level is 0.23m, which is within the typical range of 0.07 to 0.26m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Sonning Lock?

Based on the most recent readings, the level is currently rising slightly. 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 Sonning Lock?

The typical range at this station is 0.07m to 0.26m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 0.26m 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 →