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Rainfall in Swale

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

The average of 7 rain gauges within 15km of the centre of Swale's monitored area, all reporting in the last two days. This October they range from 64.1mm to 116.1mm. The nearest is Rainfall gauge nr Swale, 0.0km away. Rain can be very local, so one street may differ from the average.
0.9mm
Yesterday (25 Oct 2026)
47.0mm
Last 7 days
91.1mm
October so far
vs 73.4mm avg — 24% wetter
1.9mm
Today so far (UTC)

Rain forecast

Next 24 hours: about 0.6mm of rain forecast for the area around Swale, heaviest in the hour to Tue 09:00 (0.6mm).

A computer model forecast (DWD ICON) for a square about 15 km across, updated 17:05 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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⚠️ Yesterday's 1.3mm at Rainfall gauge nr Badlesmere was the wettest day at this gauge since 24 Oct 2026 and in the top 51.7% of 474 rain days in this gauge's 2-year record.

Nearest rain gauges to Swale

GaugeDistanceYesterday7 daysOctoberToday
Rainfall gauge nr Swale 0.0km 0.6mm – – 1.5mm
Rainfall gauge nr Badlesmere nr Badlesmere 7.3km 1.3mm 64.3mm 116.1mm 3.0mm
Rainfall gauge nr Eastchurch nr Eastchurch 8.6km 0.1mm 26.2mm 64.1mm 1.8mm

Last 30 days (average of 7 gauges within 15km)

Daily totals 26 Sep–25 Oct. Wettest day: 24.0mm.

Rain days this October

6 days with at least 0.2mm of rain so far this October at Rainfall gauge nr Swale, against a full-month average of 16.5 rain days (based on 22 months of records at this gauge).

Rainfall year by year in Swale

2026 so far: 484 mm (1 Jan to 25 Oct), against 481 mm by the same date in an average year (2000–2025) — about average.

One bar per calendar year, the average of 7 local rain gauges: the Environment Agency's quality-checked daily archive, then live telemetry for the latest months. Wettest: 2000 (929 mm). Driest: 2003 (438 mm). Average: 640 mm a year.

Wettest days and storms in Swale

Wettest days since 2000

  1. 50.4 mm 11 Oct 2000up to 58.6 mm at one gauge
  2. 48.4 mm 11 Oct 2013up to 61.2 mm at one gauge
  3. 36.4 mm 22 Oct 2025up to 44.9 mm at one gauge
  4. 35.6 mm 22 Nov 2003up to 37.4 mm at one gauge
  5. 34.4 mm 3 Dec 2020up to 38.9 mm at one gauge

Storms that brought the most rain here

  1. 45.6 mm Storm Angus · 19–21 Nov 2016
  2. 35.6 mm Storm Babet · 18–22 Oct 2023
  3. 25.2 mm Storm Ciaran · 1–2 Nov 2023
  4. 24.6 mm Storm Henk · 2–5 Jan 2024
  5. 24.2 mm Storm Bella · 26–27 Dec 2020

Daily totals are the average of 7 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 Swale

Swale gets about 628 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 71 mm; driest March, 39 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), 0.2 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 Swale

Rain gauge River gauge Storm overflow

Rivers near Swale

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 Swale's monitored area.

Storm overflows near Swale

9 storm overflows within 5 km of the centre of Swale's monitored area. None of the 8 with a live status is discharging right now, and 1 has no current status.

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: © Southern 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.

Frequently asked questions

How much rain fell in Swale yesterday?

0.9mm of rain fell yesterday (25 Oct 2026), from the average of 7 rain gauges within 15km of Swale.

Is this month wetter than normal in Swale?

October so far: 91.1mm vs 73.4mm October average — 24% wetter (the average covers the whole month; we are 26 days in). Figures are the average of 7 rain gauges within 15km.

Where is the nearest rain gauge to Swale?

Rainfall gauge nr Swale is the nearest rain gauge, 0.0km from the centre of Swale'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 Swale had this month?

6 days with at least 0.2mm of rain so far this October at Rainfall gauge nr Swale, against a full-month average of 16.5 rain days.

What was the wettest year in Swale?

2000 was the wettest year in the record since 2000, with 929 mm from the average of 7 local rain gauges, against an average of 640 mm a year. The driest was 2003, with 438 mm.

What is the wettest day on record in Swale?

11 Oct 2000: 50.4 mm on average across 7 local rain gauges, and up to 58.6 mm at one of them. Records since 1 Jan 2000.

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 Swale's monitored area — local rainfall can vary over short distances.