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Ribchester School water level

River gauge, River Ribble, Lancashire, United Kingdom

Directions

Right now

Normal for mid-October

Water level

0.21m Down 0.09 m over the last 24 hours

0 3 5 Highest onrecord 6.02 m Lowest on record -0.03 m

History

History
-0.00.51.0mOct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 16Oct 18Bottom of normal range-0.00.51.0mOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Bottom of normal range
-024mSep 18Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range-024mSep 18Oct 3Oct 18Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
-012mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Bottom of normal range-012mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Bottom of normal range
-012mJanMarMayJulSepNov2026-012mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

The gauge at Ribchester School reads 0.21 m, a normal level for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 0.26 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.05 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.03 m, a difference of +0.18 m.

The level is falling, down 0.09 m over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between −0.01 m and 2.37 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
0.26 m0.05 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.06 m – 0.88 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
0.15 m – 4.41 m
Same day last year
0.03 m+0.18 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
−0.01 m – 2.37 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
−0.10 m – 1.86 m
Highest on record
6.02 mFebruary 9, 2020
Lowest on record
−0.03 mJuly 3, 2009

On the river at Ribchester School

A level in the typical range is usually good news for both anglers and canoeists, but conditions can change quickly after rain in the hills.

Flood warnings for the area come from the Environment Agency.

About the River Ribble

River Ribble

The River Ribble is a river that flows through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It has a length of approximately 75 miles from its source near Selside in Ribblesdale to its estuary on the Irish Sea.

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

18 Sun 12° 2° – Wind 13 km/h
19 Mon 15° 3° 0.9 mm, 32% Wind 22 km/h
20 Tue 12° 5° 9.6 mm, 68% Wind 10 km/h
21 Wed 11° 6° 2.1 mm, 78% Wind 25 km/h
22 Thu 11° 5° 3.3 mm, 55% Wind 20 km/h
23 Fri 8° 4° – Wind 22 km/h
24 Sat 10° 4° 5.0 mm, 90% Wind 36 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:09 PM Daylight 10 hr, 25 min First quarter 50%

Map

Other gauges on the River Ribble

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
New Jumbles RockRiver gauge, River Ribble 0.42 m Normal −0.06 m 5.7 km
SamlesburyRiver gauge, River Ribble 1.14 m Low −0.11 m 7.7 km
HenthornRiver gauge, River Ribble 0.54 m Normal −0.05 m 8.1 km
Low MoorRiver gauge, River Ribble 0.54 m Normal −0.08 m 10 km
Walton-Le-DaleRiver gauge, River Ribble 0.20 m Normal −0.10 m 12 km
PenworthamRiver gauge, River Ribble 1.90 m Normal +0.01 m 14 km
Arnford WeirRiver gauge, River Ribble 0.41 m Normal −0.04 m 28 km
Penny BridgeRiver gauge, River Ribble 0.42 m Normal −0.05 m 33 km
Locks WeirRiver gauge, River Ribble 0.20 m Low −0.03 m 35 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Ribchester Sarmatian BridgeRiver gauge, Boyces Brook 0.07 m Normal −0.01 m 0.5 km
Hodder PlaceRiver gauge, River Hodder 0.45 m Normal −0.04 m 7.2 km
Whalley WeirRiver gauge, River Calder 0.44 m Normal −0.05 m 7.8 km
Harrison StreetRiver gauge, River Blakewater 0.42 m Normal −0.01 m 7.9 km
Gorse StreetRiver gauge, River Blakewater 0.05 m Low −0.01 m 8.0 km
Blackburn WaterfallRiver gauge, River Darwen 0.49 m Low −0.04 m 8.6 km
EwoodRiver gauge, River Darwen 0.34 m Normal −0.03 m 9.2 km

Questions and answers

Is the River Ribble at Ribchester School higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.18 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.03 m.

What is a normal level for the River Ribble at Ribchester School in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.26 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.06 m and 0.88 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 0.21 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Ribchester School today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST, the water level was 0.21 m. Down 0.09 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Ribchester School rising or falling?

Down 0.09 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.49 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Ribchester School 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 Ribchester School?

The highest level on record is 6.02 m on February 9, 2020. The lowest is −0.03 m on July 3, 2009.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:713040 (Agency page)
Coordinates
53.81118, -2.53103 (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 0.21 m 2026-10-18 13:00 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Ribchester School (ea:713040). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/lancashire/ribchester-school

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.