Ness water level
River gauge, River Rye, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Very low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
The River Rye at Ness is running far below normal at 0.27 m.
That puts it 0.17 m below the median of 0.44 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.35 m (−0.08 m). The lowest reading on record is 0.14 m (September 19, 1996).
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 0.27 m and 0.30 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
- 0.44 m0.17 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.33 m – 0.65 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.34 m – 2.05 m
- Same day last year
- 0.35 m−0.08 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.27 m – 0.30 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.27 m – 1.37 m
- Highest on record
- 2.71 mJune 20, 2005
- Lowest on record
- 0.14 mSeptember 19, 1996
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 Rye
The River Rye in the English county of North Yorkshire rises just south of the Cleveland Hills, east of Osmotherley. It flows through Ryedale and the communities of Hawnby, Rievaulx, Helmsley, Nunnington, West and East Ness, Butterwick, Brawby, and Ryton, before joining the River Derwent at 54°10′N 00°44′W near Malton.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 3.3 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 Rye
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howe BridgeRiver gauge, River Rye | 0.17 m | Low | −0.01 m | 12 km |
| Broadway FootRiver gauge, River Rye | 0.06 m | Very low | ±0 | 16 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HovinghamRiver gauge, Hovingham Beck | 0.03 m | Low | ±0 | 4.5 km |
| NormanbyRiver gauge, River Seven | 0.05 m | Very low | +0.01 m | 5.1 km |
| Kirkby MillsRiver gauge, River Dove | 0.18 m | Very low | ±0 | 6.4 km |
| SinningtonRiver gauge, River Seven | 0.10 m | Very low | ±0 | 8.3 km |
| Pickering Costa BeckRiver gauge, Costa Beck | 0.13 m | Normal | ±0 | 9.1 km |
| Helmsley High StreetRiver gauge, Borough Beck | 0.08 m | Normal | ±0 | 9.7 km |
| Pickering, Ings BridgeRiver gauge, Pickering Beck | 0.06 m | Very low | ±0 | 10 km |
| PickeringRiver gauge, Pickering Beck | 0.07 m | Normal | ±0 | 11 km |
Questions and answers
How does the River Rye at Ness compare with last year?
It is 0.08 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.35 m.
What is a normal level for the River Rye at Ness in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.44 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.33 m and 0.65 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 0.27 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Ness today?
On 17 Oct 2026, 21:45 BST, the water level was 0.27 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Ness rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.01 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Ness 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 Ness?
The highest level on record is 2.71 m on June 20, 2005. The lowest is 0.14 m on September 19, 1996.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:F2505(Agency page)- Coordinates
54.20385, -0.93756(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 | 0.27 m | 2026-10-17 20:45 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Ness (ea:F2505). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/north-yorkshire/ness
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