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Northenden water level

River gauge, River Mersey, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

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Right now

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.28m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 3 4 Highest onrecord 3.76 m Lowest on record 0.15 m

History

History
0.30.40.50.6mOct 12Oct 14Oct 15Oct 17Oct 19Bottom of normal range0.30.40.50.6mOct 12Oct 15Oct 19Bottom of normal range
0.40.60.8mSep 19Sep 26Oct 4Oct 11Oct 19Bottom of normal range0.40.60.8mSep 19Oct 4Oct 19Bottom of normal range
0.51.01.5mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.51.01.5mOct 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

At 0.28 m, the River Mersey at Northenden is far below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 0.37 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.09 m below typical. A year ago it stood at 0.28 m as well. The lowest reading on record is 0.15 m (September 5, 2005).

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.24 m and 0.78 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
0.37 m0.09 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.29 m – 0.57 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.27 m – 1.80 m
Same day last year
0.28 m0.00 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.24 m – 0.78 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.23 m – 1.40 m
Highest on record
3.76 mJanuary 1, 2025
Lowest on record
0.15 mSeptember 5, 2005

On the river at Northenden

Low, clear water makes fish wary, and anglers often do better early and late in the day. For canoeists, shallow riffles mean scraped hulls and the odd portage.

Flood warnings for the area come from the Environment Agency.

About the River Mersey

River Mersey

The River Mersey is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.

Read more on Wikipedia

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

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:06 PM Daylight 10 hr, 23 min First quarter 57%

Map

Other gauges on the River Mersey

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Didsbury RiverRiver gauge, River Mersey 2.68 m Very low −0.02 m 1.4 km
BrinkswayRiver gauge, River Mersey 0.53 m Normal −0.01 m 5.2 km
Ashton WeirRiver gauge, River Mersey 0.38 m Normal −0.02 m 6.9 km
Flixton BridgeRiver gauge, River Mersey 0.32 m Low −0.04 m 9.7 km
WestyRiver gauge, River Mersey 3.62 m Very low +0.12 m 20 km
Fiddlers FerryRiver gauge, River Mersey 2.18 m Very low +0.07 m 27 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Northern MoorRiver gauge, Baguley Brook 0.20 m Normal −0.01 m 2.8 km
StanneylandsRiver gauge, Dean 0.14 m Low −0.01 m 7.4 km
London RoadRiver gauge, River Medlock 0.07 m Low ±0 7.4 km
PortwoodRiver gauge, River Tame 0.11 m Low ±0 7.6 km
Gurney StreetRiver gauge, River Medlock 0.26 m Normal +0.05 m 8.5 km
Adelphi WeirRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.23 m Normal −0.02 m 8.6 km
WilmslowRiver gauge, River Bollin 0.17 m Low +0.02 m 8.9 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Mersey at Northenden higher than last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.28 m.

What is a normal level for the River Mersey at Northenden in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.37 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.29 m and 0.57 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 0.28 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Northenden today?

On 19 Oct 2026, 09:30 BST, the water level was 0.28 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Northenden rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Northenden normal?

Very 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 Northenden?

The highest level on record is 3.76 m on January 1, 2025. The lowest is 0.15 m on September 5, 2005.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:692710 (Agency page)
Coordinates
53.40878, -2.25267 (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 0.28 m 2026-10-19 08:30 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Northenden (ea:692710). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/greater-manchester/northenden

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.