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Rainfall in Halstead

How much rain fell in Halstead, Essex? Daily, weekly and monthly totals averaged over the Environment Agency rain gauges within 15km, updated every 15 minutes.

The average of 12 rain gauges within 15km of the centre of Halstead's monitored area, all reporting in the last two days. This October they range from 57.4mm to 75.2mm. The nearest is Rainfall gauge nr Halstead, 0.0km away. Rain can be very local, so one street may differ from the average.
0.0mm
Yesterday (25 Oct 2026)
37.2mm
Last 7 days
65.8mm
October so far
vs 60.4mm avg — 9% wetter
2.8mm
Today so far (UTC)

Rain forecast

Next 24 hours: about 2.6mm of rain forecast for the area around Halstead, heaviest in the hour to Tue 09:00 (1.0mm).

A computer model forecast (DWD ICON) for a square about 15 km across, updated 11:05 UK time. It is a forecast, not a measurement, and not a Met Office forecast. Weather data by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).

Next 4 days

Daily totals for UK days from the same computer model; "dry" means under 0.2mm. Forecasts further ahead are less certain.

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Nearest rain gauges to Halstead

GaugeDistanceYesterday7 daysOctoberToday
Rainfall gauge nr Halstead 0.0km 0.0mm 38.2mm 72.2mm 3.2mm
Rainfall gauge nr Braintree (south-east) nr Braintree 8.0km 0.0mm 39.8mm 68.8mm 3.6mm
Rainfall gauge nr Braintree (south) nr Braintree 8.5km 0.0mm 33.0mm 59.2mm 3.4mm

Last 30 days (average of 12 gauges within 15km)

Daily totals 26 Sep–25 Oct. Wettest day: 13.8mm.

Rain days this October

15 days with at least 0.2mm of rain so far this October at Rainfall gauge nr Halstead, against a full-month average of 18.7 rain days (based on 2 months of records at this gauge).

Rainfall year by year in Halstead

2026 so far: 403 mm (1 Jan to 25 Oct), against 446 mm by the same date in an average year (2013–2025) — 10% drier.

One bar per calendar year, the average of 8 local rain gauges: the Environment Agency's quality-checked daily archive, then live telemetry for the latest months. Wettest: 2014 (726 mm). Driest: 2025 (448 mm). Average: 574 mm a year.

Wettest days and storms in Halstead

Wettest days since 2012

  1. 48.7 mm 17 Jan 2022up to 194.4 mm at one gauge
  2. 29.4 mm 3 Dec 2020up to 33.0 mm at one gauge
  3. 28.5 mm 24 Jul 2015up to 31.8 mm at one gauge
  4. 28.2 mm 21 May 2024up to 42.4 mm at one gauge
  5. 27.4 mm 14 Nov 2025up to 37.6 mm at one gauge

Storms that brought the most rain here

  1. 53.8 mm Storm Babet · 18–22 Oct 2023
  2. 33.4 mm Storm Angus · 19–21 Nov 2016
  3. 24.2 mm Storm Ciaran · 1–2 Nov 2023
  4. 20.7 mm Storm Henk · 2–5 Jan 2024
  5. 18.4 mm Storm Chandra · 26–27 Jan 2026

Daily totals are the average of 8 local rain gauges, for UTC days; one gauge can catch much more than the average. A storm's figure adds up the rain measured on its dates, from our list of Met Office named storms and major floods — other weather on those days counts too.

Average rainfall in Halstead

Halstead gets about 619 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 65 mm; driest March, 37 mm). That is drier than the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year.

Monthly averages in mm. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 1.6 km from the town's gauge centre. Average rainfall: HadUK-Grid v1.3.2, Met Office. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. UK comparison: Met Office HadUK-Grid areal series, 1991-2020, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Gauges and storm overflows around Halstead

Rain gauge River gauge Storm overflow

Rivers near Halstead

River Blackwater the largest river near Halstead

Nearest gauge on it: Stisted, 8.5 km away: 0.50 m Rising slightly ▲.

Every gauge on the River Blackwater →

Nearest river gauges

A level is shown only when the gauge's latest reading is under 6 hours old. Distances are straight-line from the centre of Halstead's monitored area.

Storm overflows near Halstead

5 storm overflows within 5 km of the centre of Halstead's monitored area. None of the 5 with a live status is discharging right now.

The most spills in 2025

Sewage & storm overflows →

Event Duration Monitors show when an overflow may be spilling; they do not confirm it, and this is not advice on water quality. A live status older than two hours counts as no current status. Live status: © Anglian Water storm overflow activity data, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Annual spill figures: Environment Agency Event Duration Monitoring return, © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right, Open Government Licence (OGL) v3.0.

About Halstead

Halstead
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page)

Town in the Braintree district of Essex, England

Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree district of Essex, England. It lies on the River Colne, 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Braintree and 12 miles (19 km) north-west of Colchester. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 13,529. It is twinned with Haubourdin in the Nord department of France.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Frequently asked questions

How much rain fell in Halstead yesterday?

0.0mm of rain fell yesterday (25 Oct 2026), from the average of 12 rain gauges within 15km of Halstead.

Is this month wetter than normal in Halstead?

October so far: 65.8mm vs 60.4mm October average — 9% wetter (the average covers the whole month; we are 26 days in). Figures are the average of 12 rain gauges within 15km.

Where is the nearest rain gauge to Halstead?

Rainfall gauge nr Halstead is the nearest rain gauge, 0.0km from the centre of Halstead's monitored area. Rain gauges can be several kilometres from the town itself, so very local downpours may not register exactly.

How many rain days has Halstead had this month?

15 days with at least 0.2mm of rain so far this October at Rainfall gauge nr Halstead, against a full-month average of 18.7 rain days.

What was the wettest year in Halstead?

2014 was the wettest year in the record since 2013, with 726 mm from the average of 8 local rain gauges, against an average of 574 mm a year. The driest was 2025, with 448 mm.

What is the wettest day on record in Halstead?

17 Jan 2022: 48.7 mm on average across 8 local rain gauges, and up to 194.4 mm at one of them. Records since 17 Aug 2012.

Rainfall data: Environment Agency rain gauges, synced every 15 minutes. Daily totals are computed overnight (UTC days); "today so far" is live. Gauge distances are straight-line from the centre of Halstead's monitored area — local rainfall can vary over short distances.