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Tanfield water level

River gauge, River Team, Durham, United Kingdom

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Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.21m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 2 3 Highest onrecord 2.78 m Lowest on record 0.13 m

History

History
0.20.30.4mOct 10Oct 12Oct 14Oct 15Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.20.30.4mOct 10Oct 14Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
-0.00.20.4mSep 17Sep 25Oct 2Oct 10Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range-0.00.20.4mSep 17Oct 2Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.51.0mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.51.0mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.51.0mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.51.0mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Tanfield: the gauge reads 0.21 m, below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 0.25 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.04 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.20 m, a difference of +0.01 m.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is −0.01 m – 0.37 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
0.25 m0.04 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.20 m – 0.42 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.16 m – 0.44 m
Same day last year
0.20 m+0.01 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
−0.01 m – 0.37 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.18 m – 1.05 m
Highest on record
2.78 mJune 28, 2012
Lowest on record
0.13 mSeptember 8, 2005

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 Team

River Team

The River Team is a tributary of the River Tyne in Gateshead, 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: 2.1 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 10° 4° 0.2 mm Wind 14 km/h
18 Sun 10° 5° 0.1 mm, 22% Wind 14 km/h
19 Mon 13° 6° 0.2 mm, 55% Wind 18 km/h
20 Tue 12° 9° 1.1 mm, 50% Wind 17 km/h
21 Wed 9° 6° 12 mm, 49% Wind 22 km/h
22 Thu 11° 4° 3.3 mm, 32% Wind 22 km/h
23 Fri 8° 6° 27 mm, 80% Wind 28 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:06 PM Daylight 10 hr, 26 min First quarter 42%

Map

Other gauges on the River Team

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Team ValleyRiver gauge, River Team 0.20 m Very low −0.01 m 6.7 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Rowlands GillRiver gauge, River Derwent 0.13 m Very low ±0 4.2 km
Blackhall MillRiver gauge, River Derwent 0.06 m Very low ±0 7.5 km
Lanchester Front StreetRiver gauge, Smallhope Burn 0.22 m Normal ±0 7.5 km
Chester-Le-StreetRiver gauge, River Wear 0.30 m Very low ±0 9.6 km
Crag HallRiver gauge, Ouse Burn 0.06 m Very low −0.02 m 14 km
Houghton Le SpringRiver gauge, Moors Burn 0.10 m Normal −0.04 m 15 km
Durham New Elvet BridgeRiver gauge, River Wear 0.21 m Very low −0.01 m 15 km
Stocksfield Ridley MillRiver gauge, Stocksfield Burn 0.24 m Lowest on record ±0 15 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Team at Tanfield higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.01 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.20 m.

What is a normal level for the River Team at Tanfield in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.25 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.20 m and 0.42 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 0.21 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Tanfield today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 18:00 BST, the water level was 0.21 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Tanfield rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Up 0.01 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Tanfield 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 Tanfield?

The highest level on record is 2.78 m on June 28, 2012. The lowest is 0.13 m on September 8, 2005.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:023042 (Agency page)
Coordinates
54.88718, -1.70015 (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 0.21 m 2026-10-17 17:00 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Tanfield (ea:023042). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/durham/tanfield

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.