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Bolton Bridge water level

River gauge, River Dearne, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom

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Right now

High for mid-October

Water level

0.53m Up 0.19 m over the last 24 hours

0 1 2 3 Highest onrecord 3.54 m Lowest on record 0.31 m

History

History
0.40.5mOct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 17Oct 19Bottom of normal range0.40.5mOct 12Oct 16Oct 19Bottom of normal range
0.30.40.5mSep 19Sep 27Oct 4Oct 12Oct 19Bottom of normal range0.30.40.5mSep 19Oct 4Oct 19Bottom of normal range
0.51.01.52.0mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range0.51.01.52.0mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.51.0mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.51.0mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

The River Dearne at Bolton Bridge is above normal at 0.53 m.

The median for mid-October is 0.39 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.14 m above typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.33 m, a difference of +0.20 m.

It has risen 0.19 m over the past 24 hours. If the rise continues, low-lying paths and riverside parking can go under water. In the last month it has stayed between 0.30 m and 0.53 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
0.39 m0.14 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.34 m – 0.55 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.35 m – 2.00 m
Same day last year
0.33 m+0.20 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.30 m – 0.53 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.31 m – 1.30 m
Highest on record
3.54 mJune 26, 2007
Lowest on record
0.31 mOctober 2, 2009

Fishing and paddling

Coloured, rising water usually ends the fishing for a day or two. As it fines down, it can bring fresh fish up the river.

Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency.

About the River Dearne

River Dearne

The River Dearne in South Yorkshire, England flows roughly east for more than 30 kilometres (19 mi), from its source just inside West Yorkshire. It flows through Denby Dale, Clayton West, Haigh, Darton, Barnsley, Darfield, Wath upon Dearne, Bolton on Dearne, Adwick upon Dearne and Mexborough to its confluence with the River Don at Denaby Main. Its main tributary is the River Dove, which joins it at Darfield. The river was one of those affected by the 2007 United Kingdom floods.

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: 5.6 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 13° 7° – Wind 20 km/h
19 Mon 15° 10° 5.6 mm, 99% Wind 19 km/h
20 Tue 12° 10° 9.3 mm, 65% Wind 11 km/h
21 Wed 11° 8° 1.2 mm, 61% Wind 24 km/h
22 Thu 12° 6° 1.2 mm, 31% Wind 18 km/h
23 Fri 9° 7° 2.4 mm, 61% Wind 24 km/h
24 Sat 10° 5° – Wind 30 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:02 PM Daylight 10 hr, 22 min First quarter 59%

Map

Other gauges on the River Dearne

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
AdwickRiver gauge, River Dearne 0.41 m High +0.23 m 2.0 km
Darfield BridgeRiver gauge, River Dearne 0.42 m High +0.21 m 4.4 km
HoughtonRiver gauge, River Dearne 0.29 m Very high +0.17 m 5.1 km
Cundy CrossRiver gauge, River Dearne 0.19 m Normal +0.15 m 9.4 km
BarnsleyRiver gauge, River Dearne 0.31 m High +0.16 m 12 km
DartonRiver gauge, River Dearne 0.41 m High +0.19 m 16 km
Denby Dale Norman RoadRiver gauge, River Dearne 0.25 m Normal +0.05 m 24 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Wath upon DearneRiver gauge, Brook Dike 0.12 m Very low +0.03 m 2.2 km
Manvers Old Moor LaneRiver gauge, Knoll Beck 0.45 m Normal +0.12 m 3.3 km
Mexborough Pasture Road Pumping StationRiver gauge, Dearne Washlands 1.36 m Normal +0.19 m 4.2 km
Kilnhurst LowerRiver gauge, River Don 0.91 m Normal +0.46 m 4.3 km
Mexborough Dearne MouthRiver gauge, Dearne Washlands 9.90 m Normal ±0 4.8 km
Mexborough LockRiver gauge, River Don 0.84 m Normal +0.32 m 4.9 km
ConisbroughRiver gauge, Kearsley Brook 0.06 m Normal +0.01 m 6.7 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Dearne at Bolton Bridge higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.20 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.33 m.

What is a normal level for the River Dearne at Bolton Bridge in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.39 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.34 m and 0.55 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 0.53 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Bolton Bridge today?

On 19 Oct 2026, 13:15 BST, the water level was 0.53 m. Up 0.19 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Bolton Bridge rising or falling?

Up 0.19 m over the last 24 hours. Up 0.17 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Bolton Bridge normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Bolton Bridge?

The highest level on record is 3.54 m on June 26, 2007. The lowest is 0.31 m on October 2, 2009.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:L08013 (Agency page)
Coordinates
53.51359, -1.31230 (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 0.53 m 2026-10-19 12:15 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Bolton Bridge (ea:L08013). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/south-yorkshire/bolton-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.