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Water Level Easing
Easing — down from 0.65 at 14:00, now 0.56
0.56

Barnard Castle

Tees
Tees catchment • Barnard Castle • County Durham • ID: F3504 • Level
(1h ago) • 4 readings/hr • 176 views

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Not an emergency service — if in danger call 999. Alerts rely on EA/SEPA/NRW data and are best-efforts. Terms

Current Level
0.555 m
▼ Easing
24h Max
0.677 m
24h Min
0.478 m
Typical Range
0.46 - 1.70
m
Highest Recorded
3.09 m
EA official record
A 3.91 reading (16 Mar 2013) sits in our unverified raw history and is not treated as the record
Current level is 18% of this
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Recent Readings

Falling · -5 cm over 6h
08 Oct 01:30 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.555 m
08 Oct 01:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.557 m
08 Oct 01:00 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.558 m
08 Oct 00:45 ▬ steady 0.561 m
08 Oct 00:30 ▼ -0.4 cm 0.561 m
08 Oct 00:00 ▬ steady 0.565 m
07 Oct 23:45 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.565 m
07 Oct 23:30 ▼ -0.5 cm 0.568 m
07 Oct 22:30 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.573 m
07 Oct 22:15 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.576 m
07 Oct 22:00 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.578 m
07 Oct 21:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.580 m
07 Oct 21:30 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.581 m
07 Oct 21:15 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.583 m
07 Oct 21:00 ▼ -0.5 cm 0.585 m
07 Oct 20:30 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.590 m
07 Oct 20:15 ▼ -0.5 cm 0.593 m
07 Oct 19:45 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.598 m
07 Oct 19:30 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.601 m
07 Oct 19:15 0.604 m

Station Details

Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: F3504
  • RLOI id: 8014 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: F3504-level-stage-i-15_min-m
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: m
  • Typical rise rate: 2 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Tees
  • Typical Range: 0.462 – 1.700 m
  • Drainage Area: 509 km² upstream of this gauge
  • Flow Data: Daily mean flow (m³/s) to 6 Oct (2 days behind — the EA publishes each day's mean a day or two after it ends; unchecked, provisional) via EA Hydrology
  • EA Cross-check: 0.55 m (EA at 8 Oct 01:45)
  • Flow Archive: National River Flow Archive ↗

Geographic coordinates may reflect the access point for the gauge, and not the precise location in the watercourse that it is taking readings from.

Nearby Stations

Gauges connected to this river, and others nearby. A distance “by river” follows the river on the map; any other is in a straight line.

Connected upstream

Connected downstream

Same river system, separate branch

Distances by river: OS Open Rivers. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

💧 Storm overflows upstream of this gauge

Storm overflows whose water reaches this gauge on the mapped river network, nearest first by distance along the river. The status is each water company's monitor: it says whether an overflow is discharging, not how much or what it contains.

15 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 160 m away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 15 report not discharging.

💧
Northumbrian Water · into Tees · 160 m upstream along the river
1 spill · 3 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Deepdale Beck (Tees) · 320 m upstream along the river
9 spills · 77 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Trib Of River Balder · 6.0 km upstream along the river
25 spills · 33 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into River Balder · 6.2 km upstream along the river
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into River Balder · 6.4 km upstream along the river
161 spills · 2,197 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into River Tees · 9.0 km upstream along the river
11 spills · 7 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into River Tees · 9.0 km upstream along the river
13 spills · 47 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Tees · 10.2 km upstream along the river
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

7 more further upstream, up to 16.4 km away along the river.

Nearby, connection not known

Within 6 km in a straight line, but the river map cannot say whether their water passes this gauge.

💧
Northumbrian Water · into River Tees · 100 m away in a straight line · too close to the gauge to say which side
14 spills · 15 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Manifold Beck, Tributary Of · 2.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
19 spills · 85 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Black Beck Tributary · 3.1 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
1 spill · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Unnamed Trib Of Lance Beck · 4.3 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
7 spills · 4 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

8 other overflows within 6 km are downstream of this gauge or on another branch of the river network, so they are not listed.

These are the water companies' monitor statuses; a spill does not by itself explain a change in the gauge level. River connections and distances are traced on OS Open Rivers (edition 2026-04), which leaves out many small channels. Explore the sewage map →

Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

Rainfall & Weather

Loading rainfall and weather data...

How often this river runs high

In a typical year this gauge reaches its typical high of 1.70 m on about 2 days. This year so far: 1 day.

2026 1 day so far
2025 2 days, 2 of them high · 2 high
2024 2 days
2023 4 days, 1 of them high · 1 high
2022 1 day, 1 of them high · 1 high
2021 1 day, 1 of them high · 1 high
2020 5 days, 4 of them high · 4 high
2019 3 days, 2 of them high · 2 high
2018 1 day, 1 of them high · 1 high
2017 3 days, 1 of them high · 1 high

Counted from each day's highest reading. Days with missing or implausible readings are left out. The darker part is days above 1.80 m, the level this gauge tops only a few days a year.

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2022 for the 1 flood area linked to this gauge (nearest 0.4 km away).

1flood warning 0flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 20 Feb 2022 — River Tees at Barnard Castle

Warnings apply to a whole flood area, not necessarily this exact spot. Years before 2006 aren't covered by the EA's historic record. See also the Barnard Castle flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. This is the area linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Catchment Character

🌊 Flashy Rain runs off fast — levels rise and fall sharply, often within hours of heavy rain.

Your catchment is all the land that drains rainfall into the river above this gauge. Its character — how steep, wet, wooded, urban or chalky that land is — decides how fast rain here turns into a rising river. A steep, bare or clay catchment is “flashy” (rises and falls quickly, floods easily); a flat, chalk or well-wooded one is slow and steady. The tiles below put numbers to that; the flow-duration curve reads left-to-right from the river’s typical high flows (Q5) down to its low flows (Q95) — a steep curve means a flashy river.

The physical character of the land that drains to this gauge, and how it shapes its flood response — from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).

Baseflow Index
0.32
flashy — rain runs off fast
Avg Annual Rainfall
1,374 mm/yr
1991–2020 · -5% since 1941–70
Urban Extent
0.3%
largely rural
Median Annual Flood
262 m³/s
QMED — typical yearly peak flow
Highest Daily Mean Flow
319 m³/s
23 Mar 1968 · daily mean, not the instantaneous peak
Flow-Duration Curve
mean 14.5146.948.263.885% (high)% of days exceeded95% (low)
Daily flow (m³/s) exceeded each % of the time — a steep curve is flashy, a flat one is steady. Q5 high · Q50 median · Q95 low.
Land Cover (2023)
Woodland 2%Grassland 27%Heath/scrub 68%Other 2%
Heath/scrub 52% → 68% since 1990

Flow affected by: surface-water abstraction, reservoir influence, industrial / agricultural abstraction.

Photos

Gauging-station photographs from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).

Photos © NRFA / UKCEH & the measuring authority — shown at web resolution. Full gallery on the NRFA ↗

About this gauge

Compound Crump weir. Major rebuild of the weir during 2012/13 included the addition of a Larinier fish pass and the removal of the old pool fish pass on the left bank. Regime heavily influenced by reservoir storage and abstractions.

More detail

The catchment

Upland Pennine catchment developed mostly on Carboniferous Limestone and Millstone Grit, with nearly four fifths of the catchment overlain by superficial deposits of peat in headwaters and Boulder Clay in valley. Land use almost entirely moorland and grass pasture. No known catchment changes.

The station

Compound Crump weir 52.2m broad with central low flow crest (6.7m). Instrument hut moved to left bank in 2006 and cableway installed. Major refurbishment 2012-14 included addition of Larinier fish pass (3m wide).

How it measures flow

Weir remains modular and no by-passing, but overtops left bank (contained on right) and can surge up Deepdale Beck. Theoretical calibration (check gaugings up to Qmed). Original peak flow rating confirmed by hydraulic modelling in 1998. Weir reconstruction and fish pass addition (2012-2013) necessitated a re-rating using standard weir equations. Check gaugings approaching QMED since rebuild confirm new rating, which applies from 07/03/2014 when the majority of the temporary works were removed.

Flow regime

Responsive regime. Six reservoirs in catchment with a total area of 180.7 sq.km (35.5% of catchment), progressively influencing during record period (Balderhead 1965, Cow Green 1970). River regulation from Cow Green to support PWS abstractions and minimum flows; Cow Green operation includes winter flood storage drawdown. Export from direct supply (Lartington); import from Tyne via Kielder Tunnel only in exceptional drought. Net export of water.

The flow record

Step-changes in flow June-September 2014 due to increased outflows from Cow Green Reservoir (to flush and clean Cow Green weir, also seen at 25018 and 25023). No daily or peak flow data are available from 01/10/2012 to 07/03/2014 due to temporary in river works and diversion of flow during weir reconstruction. Full period of record peak flow data reviewed and released in September 2020 (WINFAP Files v9).

Descriptions from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH). NRFA station record ↗

Gauge Details

How this gauging station is built and how long it has measured (NRFA / UKCEH).

Gauge type
Gauging structure
Operating since
1966
Station datum
133.0 mAOD
Flow record
1966–2024 · 58 yrs · 87% complete
Peak-flow record
since 1964
Hydrometric area
25
Measured by
Environment Agency

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Tees at Barnard Castle flooding today?

The current level is 0.56m, which is within the typical range of 0.46 to 1.70m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Barnard Castle?

Based on the most recent readings, the level is currently falling slightly. The chart above shows the last 12 hours of measurements by default (up to 7 days), updated roughly every 15 minutes.

Why is the level slowly falling?

When little or no rain has fallen for a while, a river level gradually drops as the water stored in the ground and soil drains away with nothing to replace it. This is called baseflow recession and is normal in dry spells. A gentle decline like this is expected and is not a sign of a problem — downstream gauges often recede a little faster than headwaters further upstream, and levels recover once rain returns.

What is a normal level for the River Tees at Barnard Castle?

The typical range at this station is 0.46m to 1.70m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 1.70m are higher than usually seen and may indicate a flood risk.

How often is this river level data updated?

Readings are supplied by the Environment Agency gauge. FloodRadar checks for updates roughly every 15 minutes; the timestamp above shows how recent the latest available reading is.

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📮 Flood risk by postcode near this gauge

Postcodes within 5 km with properties in the Environment Agency’s rivers-and-sea flood-risk bands:

Check any UK postcode’s flood risk →

🏠 Buying or renting around here? Get the Property Flood-Risk Report for any English postcode — official risk band, recorded floods, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off. Learn more →