Wharncliffe Side water level
River gauge, River Don, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
At 0.84 m, the River Don at Wharncliffe Side is below normal for mid-October.
That puts it 0.12 m below the median of 0.96 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.81 m (+0.02 m).
The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.84 m and 1.06 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
- 0.96 m0.12 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.84 m – 1.16 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.88 m – 2.30 m
- Same day last year
- 0.81 m+0.02 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.84 m – 1.06 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.81 m – 1.83 m
- Highest on record
- 4.44 mJune 25, 2007
- Lowest on record
- 0.76 mNovember 24, 2003
On the river at Wharncliffe Side
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 Don
The River Don is a river in north-east Scotland. At 135 kilometres (84 mi) in length, it drains a catchment of 1,312 square kilometres (507 sq mi). It rises in the Grampians and flows eastwards, through Aberdeenshire, to the North Sea at Aberdeen. The Don passes through Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore, and Dyce. Its main tributary, the River Ury, joins at Inverurie.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
The forecast is not available right now.
Map
Other gauges on the River Don
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxspring Bower HillRiver gauge, River Don | 0.01 m | Normal | ±0 | 8.2 km |
| Sheffield Lady's BridgeRiver gauge, River Don | 0.38 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 8.8 km |
| HadfieldsRiver gauge, River Don | 0.33 m | Very low | ±0 | 9.5 km |
| PenistoneRiver gauge, River Don | 0.32 m | Low | ±0 | 11 km |
| RotherhamRiver gauge, River Don | 0.00 m | Low | −0.01 m | 13 km |
| Rotherham Forge IslandRiver gauge, River Don | 0.18 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 13 km |
| Kilnhurst LowerRiver gauge, River Don | 0.43 m | Very low | −0.03 m | 17 km |
| Mexborough LockRiver gauge, River Don | 0.52 m | Very low | −0.03 m | 21 km |
| SprotbroughRiver gauge, River Don | 0.44 m | Normal | −0.05 m | 25 km |
| DoncasterRiver gauge, River Don | 0.20 m | Very low | −0.05 m | 29 km |
| Kirk BramwithRiver gauge, River Don | 1.36 m | Low | −0.26 m | 36 km |
| FishlakeRiver gauge, River Don | 1.01 m | Very low | −0.38 m | 41 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loxley Rowell BridgeRiver gauge, River Loxley | 0.07 m | Low | ±0 | 4.8 km |
| High GreenRiver gauge, Charlton Brook | −0.01 m | Very low | ±0 | 5.6 km |
| MalinbridgeRiver gauge, River Loxley | 0.19 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 5.8 km |
| Ecclesfield MorrisonsRiver gauge, Whitley Brook | −0.06 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 6.0 km |
| Stocksbridge SteelworksRiver gauge, The Porter River | 0.22 m | Normal | ±0 | 6.1 km |
| Sheffield BlackburnRiver gauge, Blackburn Brook | 0.04 m | Normal | ±0 | 8.5 km |
| GrimesthorpeRiver gauge, Bagley Dike | 0.06 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 8.7 km |
| Sheffield Oakbrook RoadRiver gauge, Porter Brook | 0.05 m | Normal | ±0 | 8.8 km |
Questions and answers
How does the River Don at Wharncliffe Side compare with last year?
It is 0.02 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.81 m.
What is a normal level for the River Don at Wharncliffe Side in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.96 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.84 m and 1.16 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 0.84 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Wharncliffe Side today?
On 18 Oct 2026, 10:15 BST, the water level was 0.84 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Wharncliffe Side rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Wharncliffe Side normal?
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 Wharncliffe Side?
The highest level on record is 4.44 m on June 25, 2007. The lowest is 0.76 m on November 24, 2003.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:L0504(Agency page)- Coordinates
53.44521, -1.54918(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 | 0.84 m | 2026-10-18 09:15 | Provisional |
Download
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Wharncliffe Side (ea:L0504). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/south-yorkshire/wharncliffe-side
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