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Sunderland Bridge water level

River gauge, River Wear, Durham, United Kingdom

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.26m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 3 4 Highest onrecord 3.71 m Lowest on record 0.17 m

History

0.40.6mOct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 16Oct 18Bottom of normal range0.40.6mOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Bottom of normal range
0.40.6mSep 18Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18Bottom of normal range0.40.6mSep 18Oct 3Oct 18Bottom of normal range
12mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range12mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.51.01.5mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.51.01.5mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

At 0.26 m, the River Wear at Sunderland Bridge is far below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.09 m below the median of 0.35 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.26 m as well. The lowest reading on record is 0.17 m (July 12, 1989).

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 0.24 m and 0.33 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
0.35 m0.09 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.27 m – 0.68 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.25 m – 2.20 m
Same day last year
0.26 m0.00 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.24 m – 0.33 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.24 m – 1.44 m
Highest on record
3.71 mJuly 18, 2009
Lowest on record
0.17 mJuly 12, 1989

On the river at Sunderland Bridge

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 Wear

River Wear

The River Wear in Northern England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At 60 mi (97 km) long, it is one of the region's longest rivers. The Wear wends in a steep valley through the cathedral city of Durham and gives its name to Weardale in its upper reach and Wearside by its mouth.

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.

18 Sun 10° 5° – Wind 15 km/h
19 Mon 15° 7° 0.2 mm, 73% Wind 16 km/h
20 Tue 11° 10° 14 mm, 71% Wind 17 km/h
21 Wed 11° 6° 10 mm, 67% Wind 22 km/h
22 Thu 10° 4° 0.6 mm, 26% Wind 21 km/h
23 Fri 9° 3° 26 mm, 75% Wind 26 km/h
24 Sat 9° 4° 0.6 mm, 45% Wind 26 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:03 PM Daylight 10 hr, 22 min First quarter 51%

Map

Other gauges on the River Wear

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Durham New Elvet BridgeRiver gauge, River Wear 0.21 m Very low ±0 4.8 km
Witton ParkRiver gauge, River Wear 0.31 m Very low ±0 11 km
Chester-Le-StreetRiver gauge, River Wear 0.29 m Very low ±0 14 km
StanhopeRiver gauge, River Wear 0.21 m Low ±0 28 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Burn HallRiver gauge, River Browney 0.10 m Normal +0.01 m 1.1 km
Crook West Bridge StreetRiver gauge, Crook Beck 0.01 m Very low ±0 10 km
South ChurchRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.05 m Lowest on record ±0 11 km
Dovecote HillRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.46 m Very low ±0 11 km
Houghton Le SpringRiver gauge, Moors Burn 0.10 m Low ±0 14 km
West AucklandRiver gauge, River Gaunless 0.13 m Normal ±0 14 km
Lanchester Front StreetRiver gauge, Smallhope Burn 0.22 m Normal ±0 14 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Wear at Sunderland Bridge compare with last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.26 m.

What is a normal level for the River Wear at Sunderland Bridge in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.35 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.27 m and 0.68 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 0.26 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Sunderland Bridge today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 17:45 BST, the water level was 0.26 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Sunderland Bridge rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Sunderland Bridge 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 Sunderland Bridge?

The highest level on record is 3.71 m on July 18, 2009. The lowest is 0.17 m on July 12, 1989.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:024001 (Agency page)
Coordinates
54.73447, -1.58997 (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 0.26 m 2026-10-18 16:45 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Sunderland Bridge (ea:024001). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/durham/sunderland-bridge

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