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Rainfall in Washington

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

The average of 4 rain gauges within 15km of the centre of Washington's monitored area, all reporting in the last two days. This October they range from 45.4mm to 65.7mm. The nearest is Rainfall gauge nr Washington, 0.1km away. Rain can be very local, so one street may differ from the average.
4.3mm
Yesterday (26 Oct 2026)
31.7mm
Last 7 days
52.8mm
October so far
vs 75.5mm avg — 30% drier
0.0mm
Today so far (UTC)

Rain forecast

Next 24 hours: little or no rain forecast for the area around Washington (under 0.2mm).

A computer model forecast (DWD ICON) for a square about 15 km across, updated Mon 23:05 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 3 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 Washington

GaugeDistanceYesterday7 daysOctoberToday
Rainfall gauge nr Washington 0.1km 5.0mm 32.6mm 51.6mm 0.0mm
Rainfall gauge nr Sunderland nr Sunderland 7.8km 6.0mm 26.8mm 48.4mm 0.0mm
Rainfall gauge nr Dalton-le-Dale nr Dalton-le-Dale 11.2km 3.0mm 27.6mm 45.4mm 0.0mm

Last 30 days (average of 4 gauges within 15km)

Daily totals 27 Sep–26 Oct. Wettest day: 12.2mm.

Rain days this October

20 days with at least 0.2mm of rain so far this October at Rainfall gauge nr Washington, against a full-month average of 18.5 rain days (based on 13 months of records at this gauge).

Rainfall year by year in Washington

2026 so far: 433 mm (1 Jan to 25 Oct), against 538 mm by the same date in an average year (2000–2025) — 20% drier.

One bar per calendar year, the average of 4 local rain gauges: the Environment Agency's quality-checked daily archive, then live telemetry for the latest months. Wettest: 2012 (984 mm). Driest: 2003 (497 mm). Average: 684 mm a year.

Wettest days and storms in Washington

Wettest days since 2000

  1. 57.9 mm 24 Sep 2012up to 72.6 mm at one gauge
  2. 51.1 mm 9 Aug 2004up to 58.0 mm at one gauge
  3. 45.3 mm 31 Jul 2008
  4. 44.6 mm 7 Jun 2019up to 62.2 mm at one gauge
  5. 42.9 mm 3 Jun 2000up to 47.0 mm at one gauge

Storms that brought the most rain here

  1. 51.3 mm Storm Babet · 18–22 Oct 2023
  2. 39.6 mm Storm Aileen · 12–13 Sep 2017
  3. 39.1 mm Storm Christoph · 19–21 Jan 2021
  4. 35.0 mm Storm Angus · 19–21 Nov 2016
  5. 28.2 mm Storm Ciaran · 1–2 Nov 2023

Daily totals are the average of 4 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 Washington

Washington gets about 669 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month November, 72 mm; driest March, 41 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), 1.8 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 Washington

Rain gauge River gauge Storm overflow

Rivers near Washington

River Wear the largest river near Washington

Nearest gauge on it: Chester-Le-Street, 6.4 km away: 0.46 m Falling slightly ▼.

Every gauge on the River Wear →

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 Washington's monitored area.

Storm overflows near Washington

34 storm overflows within 5 km of the centre of Washington's monitored area. None of the 30 with a live status is discharging right now, and 4 have 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: © Northumbrian 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 Washington

Washington, Tyne and Wear
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page)

Town in Tyne and Wear, England

Washington is a town in the Sunderland district, in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it is the ancestral settlement of the local Washington family, from which the first president of the United States, George Washington, descended. It has a population of 67,085.

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

Frequently asked questions

How much rain fell in Washington yesterday?

4.3mm of rain fell yesterday (26 Oct 2026), from the average of 4 rain gauges within 15km of Washington.

Is this month wetter than normal in Washington?

October so far: 52.8mm vs 75.5mm October average — 30% drier (the average covers the whole month; we are 27 days in). Figures are the average of 4 rain gauges within 15km.

Where is the nearest rain gauge to Washington?

Rainfall gauge nr Washington is the nearest rain gauge, 0.1km from the centre of Washington'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 Washington had this month?

20 days with at least 0.2mm of rain so far this October at Rainfall gauge nr Washington, against a full-month average of 18.5 rain days.

What was the wettest year in Washington?

2012 was the wettest year in the record since 2000, with 984 mm from the average of 4 local rain gauges, against an average of 684 mm a year. The driest was 2003, with 497 mm.

What is the wettest day on record in Washington?

24 Sep 2012: 57.9 mm on average across 4 local rain gauges, and up to 72.6 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 Washington's monitored area — local rainfall can vary over short distances.