Flood Watch

Live flood warnings and river levels for Oxford's flood-prone reaches — Osney, Botley Road, Abingdon Road and the Cherwell — straight from Environment Agency gauges.

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River levels

Levels are measured against each gauge’s usual range — “above typical” doesn’t mean flooding, but it’s the first thing that moves when water is on its way.

Gauge	Speaks for	Reading	Level
Thames at Osney Lock	Osney Island and the towpath south of the lock	0.007 m	Within typical range
Bulstake Stream at New Botley	Botley Road and the West Oxford streams	0.788 m	Below typical range
Hinksey Stream at Cold Harbour	Abingdon Road, New Hinksey and south Oxford	0.813 m	Below typical range
Cherwell at Kings Mill	The Cherwell side: Mesopotamia, University Parks and the Marston meadows	1.592 m	Below typical range

Each reading is metres on that gauge’s own scale, so compare a gauge with itself over time — not one gauge with another.

Worth knowing

The flood scheme is coming, slowly

The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme — a five-kilometre new stream and wetland corridor through the western floodplain — starts construction in late 2026 and takes about five years. Until it is built, nothing structural has changed: flood season remains a live risk, as it was in January 2024.

Sign up for the official warnings

The Environment Agency sends free flood warnings by phone, text or email for your exact address — sign up at gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188. This page is a window on the same data, not a replacement for a warning that wakes you up.

Port Meadow and the towpaths

Port Meadow floods by design most winters — it is the city's natural storage, not an emergency. But when the meadow is full, the Thames towpath between Wolvercote and Osney can be impassable; check before committing to a riverside walk or run.