Matlock water level
River gauge, River Derwent, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Very low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
At 0.35 m, the River Derwent at Matlock is far below normal for mid-October.
The median for mid-October is 0.53 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.18 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.39 m, a difference of −0.04 m. The lowest reading on record is 0.07 m (October 4, 1961).
The level is falling, down 0.01 m over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.28 m and 0.64 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
- 0.53 m0.18 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.38 m – 1.03 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.29 m – 2.50 m
- Same day last year
- 0.39 m−0.04 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.28 m – 0.64 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.28 m – 1.93 m
- Highest on record
- 5.18 mDecember 10, 1965
- Lowest on record
- 0.07 mOctober 4, 1961
On the river at Matlock
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 Derwent
The River Derwent is a river which flows between the historic county boundaries of Durham and Northumberland, and in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. It then enters the Derwent Reservoir near Edmundbyers, west of Consett. The River Derwent then flows through the Derwent Gorge, past Allensford, Shotley Bridge, Blackhall Mill, Rowlands Gill, Gibside estate and the Nine Arches Viaduct near Derwenthaugh Country Park. The Derwent is a tributary of the River Tyne, which it joins at Derwenthaugh near Gateshead.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 6.6 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 Derwent
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatsworthRiver gauge, River Derwent | 1.03 m | Low | −0.01 m | 10 km |
| Derby CityRiver gauge, River Derwent | 0.56 m | Low | −0.03 m | 23 km |
| Mytham BridgeRiver gauge, River Derwent | 0.80 m | Low | ±0 | 25 km |
| Yorkshire BridgeRiver gauge, River Derwent | 0.30 m | Very low | ±0 | 28 km |
| Church WilneRiver gauge, River Derwent | 0.51 m | Normal | −0.05 m | 31 km |
| BarmbyRiver gauge, River Derwent | 2.54 m | No reference yet | +0.02 m | 80 km |
| Loftsome BridgeRiver gauge, River Derwent | 2.50 m | Normal | −0.05 m | 82 km |
| Bubwith BridgeRiver gauge, River Derwent | 2.67 m | Normal | −0.05 m | 88 km |
| Elvington SluicesRiver gauge, River Derwent | 5.75 m | Normal | +0.05 m | 98 km |
| Stamford BridgeRiver gauge, River Derwent | 7.22 m | Very high | ±0 | 105 km |
| ButtercrambeRiver gauge, River Derwent | 0.06 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 109 km |
| Kirkham SluicesRiver gauge, River Derwent | 14.21 m | Low | ±0 | 116 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wingfield ParkRiver gauge, River Amber | 0.27 m | Normal | ±0 | 9.6 km |
| HolymoorsideRiver gauge, River Hipper | 0.02 m | Low | ±0 | 11 km |
| BelperRiver gauge, Coppice Brook | 0.18 m | Normal | −0.02 m | 12 km |
| Chesterfield Avenue WashlandsRiver gauge, River Rother | 0.20 m | Normal | ±0 | 13 km |
| ChesterfieldRiver gauge, River Hipper | 0.34 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 14 km |
| Agnes MeadowRiver gauge, Henmore Brook | 0.13 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 14 km |
| DuffieldRiver gauge, River Ecclesbourne | 0.16 m | Normal | −0.04 m | 14 km |
| Chesterfield St AugustinesRiver gauge, River Rother | 0.22 m | Normal | −0.03 m | 14 km |
Questions and answers
Is the River Derwent at Matlock higher than last year?
No, it is 0.04 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.39 m.
What is a normal level for the River Derwent at Matlock in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.53 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.38 m and 1.03 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 0.35 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Matlock today?
On 17 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST, the water level was 0.35 m. Down 0.01 m over the last 24 hours.
Is Matlock rising or falling?
Down 0.01 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.10 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Matlock 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 Matlock?
The highest level on record is 5.18 m on December 10, 1965. The lowest is 0.07 m on October 4, 1961.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:4011(Agency page)- Coordinates
53.12410, -1.55793(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 | 0.35 m | 2026-10-17 11:00 | Provisional |
Download
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Matlock (ea:4011). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/derbyshire/matlock
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