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Blue Bridge water level

River gauge, River Darwen, Lancashire, United Kingdom

Directions

Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.30m Down 0.05 m over the last 24 hours

0 1 2 3 Highest onrecord 3.31 m Lowest on record 0.23 m

History

History
0.20.40.6mOct 11Oct 13Oct 14Oct 16Oct 18Bottom of normal range0.20.40.6mOct 11Oct 14Oct 18Bottom of normal range
12mSep 18Sep 25Oct 3Oct 10Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range12mSep 18Oct 3Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
0.30.50.81.0mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Bottom of normal range0.30.50.81.0mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Bottom of normal range
0.51.01.5mJanMarMayJulSepNov20260.51.01.5mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Blue Bridge: the gauge reads 0.30 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 0.04 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.22 m, a difference of +0.09 m.

It is still going down, by 0.05 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 m0.04 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+0.09 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

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.

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

18 Sun 12° 2° – Wind 14 km/h
19 Mon 14° 5° 1.3 mm, 35% Wind 19 km/h
20 Tue 13° 8° 10 mm, 69% Wind 9 km/h
21 Wed 11° 7° 2.9 mm, 75% Wind 26 km/h
22 Thu 12° 6° 2.7 mm, 55% Wind 17 km/h
23 Fri 9° 4° – Wind 21 km/h
24 Sat 10° 6° 4.7 mm, 90% Wind 36 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:44 AM Sunset 06:09 PM Daylight 10 hr, 26 min First quarter 49%

Map

Other gauges on the River Darwen

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Blackburn WaterfallRiver gauge, River Darwen 0.49 m Low −0.05 m 11 km
EwoodRiver gauge, River Darwen 0.34 m Normal −0.04 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 0.21 m Normal −0.11 m 1.6 km
Bamber BridgeRiver gauge, River Lostock 0.15 m Normal −0.03 m 2.3 km
SamlesburyRiver gauge, River Ribble 1.14 m Normal −0.11 m 3.6 km
PenworthamRiver gauge, River Ribble 1.92 m Normal +0.02 m 3.7 km
Pincock BrowRiver gauge, River Yarrow 0.13 m Normal −0.01 m 10.0 km
Chorley Haworth RoadRiver gauge, Black Brook 0.20 m Normal −0.01 m 11 km
Littlewood BridgeRiver gauge, River Lostock 0.52 m Normal −0.07 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 0.09 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 0.30 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, 12:00 BST, the water level was 0.30 m. Down 0.05 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Blue Bridge rising or falling?

Down 0.05 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.15 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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 0.30 m 2026-10-18 11:00 Provisional

Download

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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.