Nivelmap
EN

Manchester Racecourse water level

River gauge, River Irwell, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

Directions

Right now

Normal for mid-October

Water level

0.94m Steady over the last 24 hours

3 5 Highest onrecord 5.67 m Lowest on record 0.62 m

History

History
0.81.01.2mOct 13Oct 14Oct 16Oct 18Oct 19Bottom of normal range0.81.01.2mOct 13Oct 16Oct 19Bottom of normal range
123mSep 20Sep 27Oct 4Oct 12Oct 19Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range123mSep 20Oct 4Oct 19Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
123mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range123mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
1.01.52.0mJanMarMayJulSepNov20261.01.52.0mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Manchester Racecourse, where the gauge shows 0.94 m.

The median for mid-October is 0.92 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.01 m above typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.85 m, a difference of +0.09 m.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 0.81 m – 1.94 m.

Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.

Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
0.92 m0.01 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.77 m – 1.23 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.73 m – 3.00 m
Same day last year
0.85 m+0.09 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.81 m – 1.94 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.80 m – 2.05 m
Highest on record
5.67 mDecember 26, 2015
Lowest on record
0.62 mMay 29, 1976

For anglers and canoeists

This is an ordinary level for the river: most put-ins, beats and weirs behave as they usually do.

Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.

About the River Irwell

River Irwell

The River Irwell is a tributary of the River Mersey in north-west England. It rises at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately 1+1⁄2 miles north of Bacup and flows southwards for 39 mi (63 km) to meet the Mersey near Irlam Locks. The Irwell marks the boundary between Manchester and Salford, and its lower reaches have been canalised and now form part of the Manchester Ship Canal.

Read more on Wikipedia

Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 5.8 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 13° 7° – Wind 15 km/h
19 Mon 14° 9° 0.4 mm, 100% Wind 24 km/h
20 Tue 12° 10° 11 mm, 86% Wind 8 km/h
21 Wed 10° 7° 4.2 mm, 74% Wind 25 km/h
22 Thu 10° 4° – Wind 12 km/h
23 Fri 8° 7° 28 mm, 86% Wind 35 km/h
24 Sat 12° 6° 12 mm, 62% Wind 18 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:44 AM Sunset 06:06 PM Daylight 10 hr, 22 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the River Irwell

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Littleton Road RiverRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.83 m Low +0.01 m 1.6 km
Adelphi WeirRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.26 m Normal +0.01 m 1.6 km
Pioneer MillsRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.29 m Very low ±0 7.5 km
KearsleyRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.80 m Normal ±0 8.4 km
Bury GroundRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.34 m Normal ±0 11 km
Ramsbottom WeirRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.33 m Normal −0.01 m 17 km
StubbinsRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.13 m Normal ±0 19 km
Irwell ValeRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.32 m Normal ±0 20 km
Holt Mill BridgeRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.19 m Normal ±0 22 km
Throstle MillRiver gauge, River Irwell 0.48 m Normal +0.01 m 23 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Collyhurst WeirRiver gauge, River Irk 0.15 m Normal ±0 2.8 km
London RoadRiver gauge, River Medlock 0.08 m Low −0.02 m 4.0 km
Gurney StreetRiver gauge, River Medlock 0.27 m Normal +0.04 m 4.4 km
Chestnut RoadRiver gauge, Worsley Brook 0.07 m Very low ±0 6.9 km
Blackford BridgeRiver gauge, River Roch 0.12 m Normal +0.01 m 7.5 km
Ashton WeirRiver gauge, River Mersey 0.48 m Normal +0.07 m 8.3 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Irwell at Manchester Racecourse higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.09 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.85 m.

What is a normal level for the River Irwell at Manchester Racecourse in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.92 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.77 m and 1.23 m, based on 21 years of records.

Is the river level the same as the depth of the water?

No. The reading is measured from a fixed zero mark at the gauge, so 0.94 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Manchester Racecourse today?

On 20 Oct 2026, 00:30 BST, the water level was 0.94 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Manchester Racecourse rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.07 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Manchester Racecourse normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Manchester Racecourse?

The highest level on record is 5.67 m on December 26, 2015. The lowest is 0.62 m on May 29, 1976.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:690510 (Agency page)
Coordinates
53.49953, -2.27176 (WGS84)
Vertical datum
station datum
Update interval
every 15 minutes
Licence
Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Environment Agency data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0

Published series

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 0.94 m 2026-10-19 23:30 Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

How to cite

Environment Agency: Manchester Racecourse (ea:690510). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/greater-manchester/manchester-racecourse

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.