Nivelmap
EN

Fiddlers Ferry water level

River gauge, River Mersey, Cheshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Right now

Very low for mid-October

Water level

2.30m Down 0.22 m over the last 24 hours

3 5 8 Highest onrecord 7.37 m Lowest on record 2.00 m

History

History
246mOct 16Oct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range246mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
46mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range46mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
34mJanMarMayJulSepNov202634mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Fiddlers Ferry: the gauge reads 2.30 m, far below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 1.36 m below the median of 3.66 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 2.74 m (−0.44 m). The lowest reading on record is 2.00 m (April 13, 2007).

It is still going down, by 0.22 m over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 2.29 m – 3.12 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
3.66 m1.36 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
2.93 m – 4.32 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
2.61 m – 6.20 m
Same day last year
2.74 m−0.44 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
2.29 m – 3.12 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
2.35 m – 4.38 m
Highest on record
7.37 mDecember 5, 2013
Lowest on record
2.00 mApril 13, 2007

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 Mersey

River Mersey

The River Mersey is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.

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

17 Sat 13° 5° – Wind 13 km/h
18 Sun 13° 4° – Wind 12 km/h
19 Mon 13° 8° 0.9 mm, 49% Wind 15 km/h
20 Tue 12° 9° 1.5 mm, 52% Wind 10 km/h
21 Wed 11° 9° 1.8 mm, 61% Wind 23 km/h
22 Thu 14° 6° 4.8 mm, 54% Wind 14 km/h
23 Fri 10° 8° 38 mm, 75% Wind 25 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:12 PM Daylight 10 hr, 31 min First quarter 44%

Map

Other gauges on the River Mersey

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
WestyRiver gauge, River Mersey 3.74 m Low −0.20 m 6.4 km
Flixton BridgeRiver gauge, River Mersey 0.39 m Normal −0.07 m 19 km
Ashton WeirRiver gauge, River Mersey 0.43 m Normal −0.08 m 22 km
NorthendenRiver gauge, River Mersey 0.31 m Low −0.05 m 27 km
Didsbury RiverRiver gauge, River Mersey 2.76 m Very low −0.15 m 28 km
BrinkswayRiver gauge, River Mersey 0.56 m Normal −0.05 m 32 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Liverpool RoadRiver gauge, Sankey Brook 1.51 m Normal −0.10 m 2.2 km
Higham AvenueRiver gauge, Sankey Brook 0.43 m Normal −0.14 m 4.7 km
Causey BridgeRiver gauge, Sankey Brook 0.30 m Normal −0.08 m 6.1 km
Ellamsbridge Road, St HelensRiver gauge, Sutton Mill Brook 0.09 m Low −0.08 m 7.8 km
Ferry Lane, WarringtonRiver gauge, Manchester ship canal 0.30 m Normal −0.20 m 8.4 km
Pickerings CutRiver gauge, River Weaver 4.82 m Normal −0.02 m 10 km
Acton BridgeRiver gauge, River Weaver 2.66 m Normal −0.01 m 11 km
Winster DriveRiver gauge, Netherley Brook 0.50 m Normal −0.11 m 11 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Mersey at Fiddlers Ferry compare with last year?

It is 0.44 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 2.74 m.

What is a normal level for the River Mersey at Fiddlers Ferry in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.66 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.93 m and 4.32 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 2.30 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Fiddlers Ferry today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 22:30 BST, the water level was 2.30 m. Down 0.22 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Fiddlers Ferry rising or falling?

Down 0.22 m over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Fiddlers Ferry normal?

Very 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 Fiddlers Ferry?

The highest level on record is 7.37 m on December 5, 2013. The lowest is 2.00 m on April 13, 2007.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:694063 (Agency page)
Coordinates
53.37418, -2.65351 (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 2.30 m 2026-10-17 21:30 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: Fiddlers Ferry (ea:694063). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/cheshire/fiddlers-ferry

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.