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John St Darlington water level

River gauge, River Skerne, Durham, United Kingdom

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.07m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 2 Highest onrecord 2.18 m Lowest on record 0.02 m

History

0.20.4mOct 11Oct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 18Bottom of normal range0.20.4mOct 11Oct 14Oct 18Bottom of normal range
0.20.4mSep 18Sep 25Oct 3Oct 10Oct 18Bottom of normal range0.20.4mSep 18Oct 3Oct 18Bottom of normal range
-0.00.51.01.5mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range-0.00.51.01.5mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
-0.00.51.0mJanMarMayJulSepNov2026-0.00.51.0mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range

What this means

Low water at John St Darlington: the gauge reads 0.07 m, far below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.12 m below the median of 0.20 m for mid-October, based on 20 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.07 m as well. The lowest reading on record is 0.02 m (August 12, 1998).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.07 m – 0.34 m.

Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.

Compared with 20 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
0.20 m0.12 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.13 m – 0.45 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (20 years of records)
Normal range
0.08 m – 1.70 m
Same day last year
0.07 m0.00 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.07 m – 0.34 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.07 m – 1.18 m
Highest on record
2.18 mNovember 27, 2012
Lowest on record
0.02 mAugust 12, 1998

For anglers and canoeists

Low rivers are hard going for paddlers, with exposed gravel and weirs that are awkward to shoot. Salmon and sea trout usually wait for the next spate to run.

Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.

About the River Skerne

River Skerne

The River Skerne is a tributary of the River Tees. It flows through County Durham in England.

Read more on Wikipedia

Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.5 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 12° 7° 0.2 mm, 70% Wind 18 km/h
19 Mon 15° 8° 0.3 mm, 20% Wind 17 km/h
20 Tue 11° 8° 13 mm, 56% Wind 12 km/h
21 Wed 12° 6° 3.4 mm, 64% Wind 19 km/h
22 Thu 12° 3° 0.6 mm, 29% Wind 15 km/h
23 Fri 8° 3° – Wind 23 km/h
24 Sat 10° 3° – Wind 35 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:03 PM Daylight 10 hr, 23 min First quarter 46%

Map

Other gauges on the River Skerne

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
South ParkRiver gauge, River Skerne 0.17 m Low ±0 2.6 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Darlington FaverdaleRiver gauge, West Beck 0.11 m Lowest on record ±0 1.9 km
Broken ScarRiver gauge, River Tees 0.71 m Normal +0.06 m 3.7 km
Croft Monk End FarmRiver gauge, Clow Beck 0.65 m Very low ±0 5.5 km
HurworthRiver gauge, River Tees 0.37 m Normal −0.01 m 5.7 km
Low MoorRiver gauge, River Tees 0.34 m Normal −0.06 m 8.7 km
Stockton Hartburn BridgeRiver gauge, Hartburn Beck 0.41 m Normal +0.01 m 12 km
YarmRiver gauge, River Tees 0.56 m Normal −0.01 m 13 km
South ChurchRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.04 m Lowest on record ±0 15 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Skerne at John St Darlington compare with last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.07 m.

What is a normal level for the River Skerne at John St Darlington in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.20 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.13 m and 0.45 m, based on 20 years of records.

Is the river level the same as the depth of the water?

No. The reading is measured from a fixed zero mark at the gauge, so 0.07 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of John St Darlington today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 03:45 BST, the water level was 0.07 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is John St Darlington rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.04 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of John St Darlington normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 20 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at John St Darlington?

The highest level on record is 2.18 m on November 27, 2012. The lowest is 0.02 m on August 12, 1998.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:L3503 (Agency page)
Coordinates
54.53303, -1.55104 (WGS84)
Vertical datum
station datum
Update interval
every 15 minutes
Licence
Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Environment Agency data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0

Published series

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 0.07 m 2026-10-18 02:45 Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

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How to cite

Environment Agency: John St Darlington (ea:L3503). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/durham/john-st-darlington

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer