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Scalehill Upper Lorton Valley water level

River gauge, River Cocker, Cumbria, United Kingdom

Directions

Right now

High for mid-October

Water level

0.70m Down 0.08 m over the last 24 hours

0 1 3 4 Highest onrecord 3.54 m Lowest on record 0.13 m

History

History
0.40.60.81.0mOct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.40.60.81.0mOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.50.81.0mSep 18Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.50.81.0mSep 19Oct 4Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.51.0mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.51.0mOct 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

The River Cocker at Scalehill Upper Lorton Valley is above normal at 0.70 m.

The median for mid-October is 0.56 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.14 m above typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.50 m, a difference of +0.20 m.

It has dropped 0.08 m over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 0.52 m and 1.08 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
0.56 m0.14 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.43 m – 0.83 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.31 m – 0.97 m
Same day last year
0.50 m+0.20 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.52 m – 1.08 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.35 m – 1.27 m
Highest on record
3.54 mNovember 20, 2009
Lowest on record
0.13 mJuly 1, 1988

Fishing and paddling

Coloured, rising water usually ends the fishing for a day or two. As it fines down, it can bring fresh fish up the river.

Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency.

About the River Cocker

River Cocker, Cumbria

The River Cocker is a river in the Lake District in North West England, in the county of Cumbria. Its source is at the head of the Buttermere valley. It flows north through Buttermere and then Crummock Water, through Lorton Vale, to the town of Cockermouth, where it joins the River Derwent. It is roughly 12 miles (19 km) long. The river takes its name from the Brythonic Celtic word kukrā, meaning 'the crooked one.'

Read more on Wikipedia

Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 29 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 11° 3° – Wind 9 km/h
19 Mon 13° 5° – Wind 18 km/h
20 Tue 12° 6° 8.5 mm, 69% Wind 10 km/h
21 Wed 10° 4° 6.2 mm, 78% Wind 18 km/h
22 Thu 10° 3° 6.9 mm, 86% Wind 18 km/h
23 Fri 8° 2° – Wind 16 km/h
24 Sat 10° 6° 5.9 mm, 92% Wind 40 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:48 AM Sunset 06:10 PM Daylight 10 hr, 22 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the River Cocker

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Southwaite BridgeRiver gauge, River Cocker 0.60 m Normal −0.07 m 6.9 km
South Street FootbridgeRiver gauge, River Cocker 1.11 m Normal −0.05 m 9.5 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Bleach Green WeirRiver gauge, River Ehen 0.48 m Normal −0.06 m 8.8 km
Kingfisher, CockermouthRiver gauge, River Derwent 1.02 m Normal −0.08 m 9.8 km
PortinscaleRiver gauge, River Derwent 0.76 m Normal −0.08 m 11 km
Castle HoweRiver gauge, Bassenthwaite Lake 1.42 m High −0.10 m 11 km
Keswick CampsiteRiver gauge, River Greta 0.78 m Normal −0.08 m 11 km
Greta BridgeRiver gauge, River Greta 1.16 m Normal −0.03 m 12 km
LodoreRiver gauge, Derwentwater 1.15 m High −0.11 m 12 km
Ouse BridgeRiver gauge, River Derwent 1.20 m High −0.09 m 12 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Cocker at Scalehill Upper Lorton Valley higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.20 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.50 m.

What is a normal level for the River Cocker at Scalehill Upper Lorton Valley in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.56 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.43 m and 0.83 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 0.70 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Scalehill Upper Lorton Valley today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 22:30 BST, the water level was 0.70 m. Down 0.08 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Scalehill Upper Lorton Valley rising or falling?

Down 0.08 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.20 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Scalehill Upper Lorton Valley normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Scalehill Upper Lorton Valley?

The highest level on record is 3.54 m on November 20, 2009. The lowest is 0.13 m on July 1, 1988.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:751612 (Agency page)
Coordinates
54.58069, -3.31800 (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 0.70 m 2026-10-18 21:30 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Scalehill Upper Lorton Valley (ea:751612). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/cumbria/scalehill-upper-lorton-valley

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.