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Rothbury water level

River gauge, River Coquet, Northumberland, 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 4.05 m Lowest on record 0.21 m

History

History
0.40.6mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 18Oct 18Bottom of normal range0.40.6mOct 16Oct 17Oct 18Bottom 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

Low water at Rothbury: the gauge reads 0.28 m, far below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 0.41 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.14 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.32 m, a difference of −0.04 m. The lowest reading on record is 0.21 m (August 4, 1990).

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.28 m – 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
0.41 m0.14 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.32 m – 0.63 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.26 m – 1.80 m
Same day last year
0.32 m−0.04 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.28 m – 0.30 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.25 m – 1.35 m
Highest on record
4.05 mSeptember 6, 2008
Lowest on record
0.21 mAugust 4, 1990

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 Coquet

River Coquet

The River Coquet runs through the county of Northumberland, England, discharging into the North Sea on the east coast at Amble. It rises in the Cheviot Hills on the border between England and Scotland, and follows a winding course across the landscape ("Coquetdale"). The upper reaches are bordered by the Otterburn Ranges military training ground, and are crossed by a number of bridges built in the 20th century. It passes a number of small villages and hamlets, and feeds one of the lakes created by extraction of gravel that form the Caistron Nature Reserve, before reaching the town of Rothbury, where it is crossed by a grade II listed bridge. Below the town is Thrum Mill, a Grade II-listed water mill.

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 07:44 AM Sunset 06:03 PM Daylight 10 hr, 20 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the River Coquet

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Alwinton BridgeRiver gauge, River Coquet 0.15 m Very low −0.01 m 15 km
WarkworthRiver gauge, River Coquet 2.17 m High +0.28 m 19 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
NunnykirkRiver gauge, River Font 0.37 m Normal ±0 8.4 km
HartburnRiver gauge, River Hartburn 0.04 m Very low ±0 15 km
Middleton BridgeRiver gauge, River Wansbeck 0.10 m Low ±0 17 km
Mitford DamRiver gauge 0.29 m Very low ±0 18 km
ShilmoorRiver gauge, Usway Burn 0.03 m Very low −0.01 m 19 km
MitfordRiver gauge, River Wansbeck 0.37 m Normal ±0 19 km
Otterburn MillRiver gauge, River Rede 0.28 m Low −0.01 m 20 km
MorpethRiver gauge, River Wansbeck 24.34 m Normal ±0 20 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Coquet at Rothbury higher than last year?

No, it is 0.04 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.32 m.

What is a normal level for the River Coquet at Rothbury in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.41 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.32 m and 0.63 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 Rothbury today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 21:45 BST, the water level was 0.28 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Rothbury rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rothbury 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 Rothbury?

The highest level on record is 4.05 m on September 6, 2008. The lowest is 0.21 m on August 4, 1990.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:022009 (Agency page)
Coordinates
55.30843, -1.89599 (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 2026-10-18 20:45 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Rothbury (ea:022009). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/northumberland/rothbury

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.