Daily flow data for the 2023/2024 water year are now available to download from the National River Flow Archive (NRFA) for most gauging stations across the UK. All active stations have now been updated with quality-controlled daily mean flow data up to 30 September 2024. 

Daily flow data are submitted to the NRFA annually by Measuring Authorities. Submissions typically occur in the spring following the end of the water year. Once received, the data undergoes a rigorous quality control process before being added to the national archive.  

This annual update includes new record flows at several locations, highlighted on the map below:

  • New record low flows (minimum daily flows) are shown in red 
  • New record high flows (maximum daily flows) are shown in blue 

The 2023/2024 water year was marked by 12 named storms – the highest number since the naming system began in 2015. Notably, Storm Babet in October 2023 brought widespread disruption, with strong winds and intense rainfall across northeast England and much of Scotland, prompting two red weather warnings for rain. The winter half-year from October 2023 to March 2024 was the wettest on record for England, and caused many prolonged high flows across large parts of England, including on some of our larger rivers (e.g. Ythan, Annacloy, Trent, Warwickshire Avon, Tywi, Exe).  

Peak flow data (AMAX and POT) for 2023/2024 will be released in the coming week.  

For more recent data, users can: 

We’ve also updated the Catchment Daily Rainfall dataset. This update marks a transition to using the Met Office HadUK-Grid dataset, which provides rainfall data from 1961 or the start of the flow record (whichever is earliest) to the end of 2023. The data are: 

  • Interpolated from meteorological station observations onto a uniform grid 
  • Aggregated using NRFA catchment boundaries to produce catchment-averaged rainfall 

The updated rainfall data are available from the Daily flow data pages for each gauging station. 

Important note: The new rainfall dataset is not compatible with older versions based on CEH-GEAR due to methodological differences. Users should avoid mixing the two datasets. 

We plan to update the Catchment Daily Rainfall dataset annually, following the release of final quality-controlled data of the Met Office HadUK-Grid dataset.