Blue Bridge water level
River gauge, River Darwen, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
Low water at Blue Bridge: the gauge reads 0.29 m, below normal for mid-October.
The median for mid-October is 0.35 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.06 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.22 m, a difference of +0.07 m.
It is still going down, by 0.04 m over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.18 m – 1.25 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
- 0.35 m0.06 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.27 m – 0.64 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.27 m – 2.43 m
- Same day last year
- 0.22 m+0.07 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.18 m – 1.25 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.18 m – 0.96 m
- Highest on record
- 3.31 mJune 22, 2012
- Lowest on record
- 0.23 mSeptember 5, 1976
For anglers and canoeists
Low rivers are hard going for paddlers, with exposed gravel and weirs that are awkward to shoot. Salmon and sea trout usually wait for the next spate to run.
Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.
About the River Darwen
The River Darwen runs through Darwen and Blackburn in Lancashire, England, eventually joining the River Ribble at Walton le Dale south of Preston on its way to the Ribble Estuary.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 4.2 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Other gauges on the River Darwen
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn WaterfallRiver gauge, River Darwen | 0.47 m | Very low | −0.04 m | 11 km |
| EwoodRiver gauge, River Darwen | 0.33 m | Low | −0.03 m | 11 km |
| Hardman WayRiver gauge, River Darwen | 0.07 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 14 km |
| Darwen Clough Street OverflowRiver gauge, River Darwen | 0.52 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 15 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walton-Le-DaleRiver gauge, River Ribble | 0.19 m | Normal | −0.08 m | 1.6 km |
| Bamber BridgeRiver gauge, River Lostock | 0.14 m | Normal | −0.02 m | 2.3 km |
| SamlesburyRiver gauge, River Ribble | 1.12 m | Low | −0.08 m | 3.6 km |
| PenworthamRiver gauge, River Ribble | 1.88 m | Lowest on record | −0.01 m | 3.7 km |
| Pincock BrowRiver gauge, River Yarrow | 0.10 m | Low | −0.02 m | 10.0 km |
| Chorley Haworth RoadRiver gauge, Black Brook | 0.19 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 11 km |
| Littlewood BridgeRiver gauge, River Lostock | 0.52 m | Normal | −0.03 m | 11 km |
| Croston DamRiver gauge, River Yarrow | 0.95 m | High | ±0 | 11 km |
Questions and answers
Is the River Darwen at Blue Bridge higher than last year?
Yes, it is 0.07 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.22 m.
What is a normal level for the River Darwen at Blue Bridge in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.35 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.27 m and 0.64 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 0.29 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Blue Bridge today?
On 18 Oct 2026, 22:30 BST, the water level was 0.29 m. Down 0.04 m over the last 24 hours.
Is Blue Bridge rising or falling?
Down 0.04 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.10 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Blue Bridge normal?
Low for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Blue Bridge?
The highest level on record is 3.31 m on June 22, 2012. The lowest is 0.23 m on September 5, 1976.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:713122(Agency page)- Coordinates
53.74455, -2.66150(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
| Parameter | Last value | Time (UTC) | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water level | 0.29 m | 2026-10-18 21:30 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Blue Bridge (ea:713122). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/lancashire/blue-bridge
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.
Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer