North Sea at Kirkwall Tide Gauge
PLEASE NOTE: An intermittent issue is affecting data at some our stations, we are working to remedy this as soon as possible..
Latest at 1:15 am on 13 June 2026
- Level
The depth of water above a fixed measuring point at the station. The fixed point is known as the Gauge Datum.
- 0.231m
- Trend
Rising, Falling or Steady is determined by subtracting the moving average of the last hour from the last value.
- Level falling
- State
Description comparing the current height to those previously recorded at the station. See our frequently asked questions page for more information.
- Normal
Normal range -1.436m to 2.449m
How levels here could affect nearby areas
- 2.640m
-
The maximum level recorded at the station (recorded on 14 January 2020 )
- 2.449m
-
This level is at the top of the normal range.
- 0.231m
-
Latest Level
- -1.474m
-
Lowest level ever recorded at the station.
Station details
- Station name
- Kirkwall Tide Gauge
- Station Location
- View Kirkwall Tide Gauge on map
- River name
- North Sea
- Main river catchment
- Orkney Islands
- Gauge datum (mAOD)
The river level is measured in meters relative to the gauge datum. To get the river level relative to Ordnance Datum (AOD) the river level given should be added to the gauge datum detailed at the bottom of the page.
- 0.00
- Catchment area (km2)
The surface area of the land that drains to the gauging station.
- km2
- Station opened
The date of the start of the digital record at this station.
- May 2017
- Highest level on record
The maximum water height recorded at the station and the date of that maximum.
- 2.640m recorded on 14 January 2020
- Lowest level on record (m)
The height of water recorded at the station. Note that low water levels can vary from year to year and seasonally, due to conditions on the riverbed changing e.g gravel movements or weed growth. Water resource management activities are undertaken using flow which is not influenced by riverbed conditions.
- -1.474m
Disclaimer
Water level data is gathered by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to help it fulfil its statutory duties. We publish it online because we recognise that this information may also be useful for others, but we cannot guarantee its currency or availability. There may be occasions when data will not be have been collected from a gauging station, therefore results will not appear until the next data collection.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, neither SEPA, nor its employees or agents can be held responsible for any inaccuracies or omissions, whether caused by negligence or otherwise. All data should be regarded as provisional and may be subject to later revision.