Middleton water level
River gauge, River Tees, Durham, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
The River Tees at Middleton is running below normal at 0.44 m.
That puts it 0.09 m below the median of 0.53 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.43 m (+0.01 m).
The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 0.44 m and 0.47 m.
Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.
Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Median for this date
- 0.53 m0.09 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.39 m – 0.97 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.37 m – 1.80 m
- Same day last year
- 0.43 m+0.01 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.44 m – 0.47 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.39 m – 1.41 m
- Highest on record
- 3.19 mAugust 20, 2004
- Lowest on record
- 0.25 mMarch 1, 1988
Fishing and paddling
At low levels, many rivers become a walk-and-paddle trip. Fish hold in deeper pools and spook easily.
Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency.
About the River Tees
The River Tees, in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for 85 miles (137 km) to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries on Teesside in its lower reaches, where it has provided the means of import and export of goods to and from the North East England. The need for water further downstream also meant that reservoirs were built in the extreme upper reaches, such as Cow Green.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 2.4 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Other gauges on the River Tees
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard CastleRiver gauge, River Tees | 0.44 m | Low | −0.05 m | 13 km |
| Broken ScarRiver gauge, River Tees | 0.62 m | Normal | −0.05 m | 33 km |
| HurworthRiver gauge, River Tees | 0.38 m | Normal | ±0 | 39 km |
| Low MoorRiver gauge, River Tees | 0.39 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 44 km |
| YarmRiver gauge, River Tees | 0.57 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 48 km |
| StocktonRiver gauge, River Tees | 2.78 m | Very high | +0.01 m | 50 km |
| Tees DockTidal gauge, River Tees | 1.16 m | No reference yet | +0.17 m | 59 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HarwoodRiver gauge, Harwood Beck | 0.20 m | Normal | −0.04 m | 11 km |
| CopleyRiver gauge, River Gaunless | 0.07 m | Very low | ±0 | 14 km |
| EastgateRiver gauge, Rookhope Burn | 0.04 m | Very low | ±0 | 14 km |
| StanhopeRiver gauge, River Wear | 0.22 m | Normal | ±0 | 14 km |
| Rutherford BridgeRiver gauge, River Greta | 0.17 m | Low | ±0 | 15 km |
| WearheadRiver gauge, Killhope Burn | 0.11 m | Low | ±0 | 18 km |
| BedburnRiver gauge, Bedburn Beck | 0.10 m | Very low | ±0 | 18 km |
| LowlandsRiver gauge, River Gaunless | 0.07 m | Normal | ±0 | 19 km |
Questions and answers
How does the River Tees at Middleton compare with last year?
It is 0.01 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.43 m.
What is a normal level for the River Tees at Middleton in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.53 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.39 m and 0.97 m, based on 21 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 0.44 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Middleton today?
On 17 Oct 2026, 10:00 BST, the water level was 0.44 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Middleton rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is the level of Middleton normal?
Low for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Middleton?
The highest level on record is 3.19 m on August 20, 2004. The lowest is 0.25 m on March 1, 1988.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:F3505(Agency page)- Coordinates
54.62010, -2.08049(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
| Parameter | Last value | Time (UTC) | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water level | 0.44 m | 2026-10-17 09:00 | Provisional |
Download
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Middleton (ea:F3505). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/durham/middleton
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