Drakelow water level

Name: Drakelow water level (Environment Agency)
Creator: Environment Agency
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

River gauge, River Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

1.22m Up 0.17 m over the last 24 hours

Measured 20 Oct 2026, 05:15 BST (57 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Drakelow, where the gauge shows 1.22 m.

That puts it 0.06 m above the median of 1.15 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 1.46 m (−0.24 m).

It is on the way up, by 0.17 m over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 1.02 m – 1.23 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: 1.15 m0.06 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.03 m – 1.56 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range: 1.02 m – 2.04 m
Same day last year: 1.46 m−0.24 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.02 m – 1.23 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.04 m – 3.19 m
Highest on record: 3.88 mJanuary 4, 2024
Lowest on record: 0.81 mAugust 23, 1976

For anglers and canoeists

This is an ordinary level for the river: most put-ins, beats and weirs behave as they usually do.

Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.

About the River Trent

The Trent, the third-longest river in the United Kingdom, has its source in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It drains the North Midlands, eventually flowing into the Humber Estuary. The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and spring snowmelt, which in the past have often caused its course to change.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 5.4 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 14° 9° 5.3 mm, 100% Wind 19 km/h

20 Tue 12° 11° 17 mm, 100% Wind 13 km/h

21 Wed 12° 7° 3.0 mm, 73% Wind 26 km/h

22 Thu 11° 4° 2.3 mm, 58% Wind 21 km/h

23 Fri 11° 5° 18 mm, 82% Wind 41 km/h

24 Sat 11° 5° 7.8 mm, 63% Wind 25 km/h

25 Sun 16° 10° 3.4 mm, 43% Wind 36 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:42 AM Sunset 06:03 PM Daylight 10 hr, 21 min First quarter 65%

Map

Other gauges on the River Trent

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
WillingtonRiver gauge, River Trent	1.05 m	Normal	+0.22 m	9.4 km
Kings BromleyRiver gauge, River Trent	0.63 m	Low	+0.02 m	11 km
ShardlowRiver gauge, River Trent	0.55 m	Normal	+0.08 m	23 km
Great HaywoodRiver gauge, River Trent	0.84 m	Normal	−0.01 m	25 km
Clifton BridgeRiver gauge, River Trent	0.99 m	Normal	+0.02 m	36 km
DarlastonRiver gauge, River Trent	0.79 m	Low	+0.01 m	38 km
ColwickRiver gauge, River Trent	1.05 m	Low	−0.02 m	43 km
Hanford BridgeRiver gauge, River Trent	0.47 m	Normal	+0.05 m	43 km
BucknallRiver gauge, River Trent	0.09 m	Low	+0.02 m	43 km
KnypersleyRiver gauge, River Trent	0.43 m	Normal	±0	48 km
FarndonRiver gauge, River Trent	0.31 m	Normal	±0	62 km
North MuskhamRiver gauge, River Trent	0.84 m	Normal	+0.02 m	69 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
AnslowRiver gauge, Rolleston Brook	0.35 m	High	±0	6.6 km
Marston on DoveRiver gauge, River Dove	0.42 m	Very low	±0	8.3 km
EggintonRiver gauge, Egginton Brook	0.19 m	Normal	+0.02 m	8.7 km
HattonRiver gauge, River Dove	0.25 m	Lowest on record	±0	9.2 km
Clifton HallRiver gauge, River Mease	0.30 m	Normal	+0.14 m	9.4 km
Hoar CrossRiver gauge, River Swarbourne	0.19 m	Very low	±0	9.8 km
Hamstall RidwareRiver gauge, River Blithe	0.11 m	Normal	+0.01 m	13 km
Aston BridgeRiver gauge, River Dove	0.65 m	Normal	±0	13 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Trent at Drakelow compare with last year?

It is 0.24 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.46 m.

What is a normal level for the River Trent at Drakelow in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1.15 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.03 m and 1.56 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 1.22 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Drakelow today?

On 20 Oct 2026, 05:15 BST, the water level was 1.22 m. Up 0.17 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Drakelow rising or falling?

Up 0.17 m over the last 24 hours. Up 0.18 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Drakelow normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Drakelow?

The highest level on record is 3.88 m on January 4, 2024. The lowest is 0.81 m on August 23, 1976.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment Agency
Station code: ea:4019 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 52.78065, -1.64711 (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	1.22 m	2026-10-20 04:15	Provisional

Download

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<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/693?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Drakelow water level"></iframe>

How to cite

Environment Agency: Drakelow (ea:4019). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/staffordshire/drakelow

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