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Houghton Le Spring water level

River gauge, Moors Burn, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom

Directions

Right now

Normal for mid-October

Water level

0.10m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 2 Highest onrecord 1.77 m Lowest on record -0.25 m

History

History
0.100.150.20mOct 13Oct 15Oct 16Oct 18Oct 200.100.150.20mOct 13Oct 16Oct 20
-0.00.2mSep 20Sep 27Oct 5Oct 12Oct 20Bottom of normal range-0.00.2mSep 20Oct 5Oct 20Bottom of normal range
-0.00.51.0mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range-0.00.51.0mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.20.4mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.20.4mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Moors Burn at Houghton Le Spring is at 0.10 m, in the normal range for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 0.12 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.01 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.18 m, a difference of −0.08 m.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 0.09 m and 0.18 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
0.12 m0.01 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.08 m – 0.23 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
−0.11 m – 1.00 m
Same day last year
0.18 m−0.08 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.09 m – 0.18 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.09 m – 0.51 m
Highest on record
1.77 mSeptember 25, 2012
Lowest on record
−0.25 mJuly 8, 2002

Fishing and paddling

Paddlers and anglers can expect the river much as they know it, though a heavy shower upstream can change that within hours.

Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency.

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:45 AM Sunset 05:58 PM Daylight 10 hr, 13 min First quarter 67%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Chester-Le-StreetRiver gauge, River Wear 0.29 m Very low ±0 4.9 km
Durham New Elvet BridgeRiver gauge, River Wear 0.21 m Very low +0.01 m 9.1 km
Team ValleyRiver gauge, River Team 0.20 m Low ±0 12 km
Burn HallRiver gauge, River Browney 0.12 m Normal +0.01 m 13 km
Sunderland BridgeRiver gauge, River Wear 0.25 m Very low ±0 14 km
TanfieldRiver gauge, River Team 0.23 m Low +0.02 m 15 km
Lanchester Front StreetRiver gauge, Smallhope Burn 0.23 m Normal +0.01 m 17 km
Rowlands GillRiver gauge, River Derwent 0.13 m Very low +0.01 m 18 km

Questions and answers

Is Moors Burn at Houghton Le Spring higher than last year?

No, it is 0.08 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.18 m.

What is a normal level for Moors Burn at Houghton Le Spring in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.12 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.08 m and 0.23 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 0.10 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Houghton Le Spring today?

On 20 Oct 2026, 09:45 BST, the water level was 0.10 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Houghton Le Spring rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Houghton Le Spring 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 Houghton Le Spring?

The highest level on record is 1.77 m on September 25, 2012. The lowest is −0.25 m on July 8, 2002.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:024012 (Agency page)
Coordinates
54.84238, -1.48706 (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 0.10 m 2026-10-20 08:45 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Houghton Le Spring (ea:024012). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/tyne-and-wear/houghton-le-spring

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.