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Lowlands water level

River gauge, River Gaunless, Durham, United Kingdom

Directions

Right now

Normal for mid-October

Water level

0.08m Steady over the last 24 hours

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 Highest onrecord 1.56 m Lowest on record -0.01 m

History

History
0.050.100.150.20mOct 10Oct 12Oct 14Oct 15Oct 17Bottom of normal range0.050.100.150.20mOct 10Oct 14Oct 17Bottom of normal range
0.050.100.150.20mSep 17Sep 25Oct 2Oct 10Oct 17Bottom of normal range0.050.100.150.20mSep 17Oct 2Oct 17Bottom of normal range
-0.00.20.40.6mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range-0.00.20.40.6mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
-0.00.20.40.6mJanMarMayJulSepNov2026-0.00.20.40.6mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Lowlands, where the gauge shows 0.08 m.

That puts it 0.01 m below the median of 0.09 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.05 m (+0.03 m).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 0.07 m – 0.09 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
0.09 m0.01 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.06 m – 0.19 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.05 m – 0.65 m
Same day last year
0.05 m+0.03 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.07 m – 0.09 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.05 m – 0.58 m
Highest on record
1.56 mAugust 20, 2004
Lowest on record
−0.01 mJuly 16, 2003

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 Gaunless

River Gaunless

The Gaunless is a tributary river of the Wear in County Durham, England. Its name is Old Norse, meaning "useless". The Gaunless Viaduct, built in 1825, was the tallest viaduct on the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway.

Read more on Wikipedia

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

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 10° 6° – Wind 19 km/h
18 Sun 11° 6° 0.1 mm, 57% Wind 15 km/h
19 Mon 13° 7° 0.9 mm, 54% Wind 18 km/h
20 Tue 12° 9° 2.8 mm, 51% Wind 16 km/h
21 Wed 10° 6° 9.5 mm, 49% Wind 23 km/h
22 Thu 11° 1° 2.7 mm, 41% Wind 21 km/h
23 Fri 8° 6° 27 mm, 81% Wind 32 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:06 PM Daylight 10 hr, 27 min First quarter 41%

Map

Other gauges on the River Gaunless

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Ramshaw MillRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.07 m Very low +0.01 m 2.6 km
Spring Gardens DamRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.10 m Lowest on record ±0 3.6 km
CopleyRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.07 m Very low ±0 4.9 km
West AucklandRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.13 m Normal ±0 4.9 km
Dovecote HillRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.47 m Very low ±0 8.2 km
South ChurchRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.05 m Lowest on record ±0 9.0 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Oakley Cross BeckRiver gauge 0.20 m Low ±0 4.4 km
Witton ParkRiver gauge, River Wear 0.31 m Very low −0.01 m 7.0 km
BedburnRiver gauge, Bedburn Beck 0.10 m Very low ±0 7.4 km
Crook West Bridge StreetRiver gauge, Crook Beck 0.01 m Very low +0.01 m 11 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Gaunless at Lowlands compare with last year?

It is 0.03 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.05 m.

What is a normal level for the River Gaunless at Lowlands in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.09 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.06 m and 0.19 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 0.08 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Lowlands today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 15:30 BST, the water level was 0.08 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Lowlands rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Lowlands 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 Lowlands?

The highest level on record is 1.56 m on August 20, 2004. The lowest is −0.01 m on July 16, 2003.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:024013 (Agency page)
Coordinates
54.61995, -1.79245 (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 0.08 m 2026-10-17 14:30 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Lowlands (ea:024013). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/durham/lowlands

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.