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SwedenBirkwood water level
River gauge, River Calder, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Normal for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
Water levels are unremarkable at Birkwood, where the gauge shows 0.66 m.
That puts it 0.08 m below the median of 0.75 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.69 m (−0.02 m).
It is still going down, by 0.04 m over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 0.61 m – 1.12 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
- 0.75 m0.08 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.54 m – 1.23 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.52 m – 1.65 m
- Same day last year
- 0.69 m−0.02 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.61 m – 1.12 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.63 m – 2.61 m
- Highest on record
- 5.22 mOctober 21, 2023
- Lowest on record
- 0.37 mOctober 10, 2018
For anglers and canoeists
This is an ordinary level for the river: most put-ins, beats and weirs behave as they usually do.
Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.
About the River Calder
The River Calder is a river in West Yorkshire, in Northern England.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 3.5 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 Calder
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WakefieldRiver gauge, River Calder | 0.01 m | Very low | ±0 | 4.1 km |
| MethleyRiver gauge, River Calder | 1.15 m | Normal | −0.05 m | 5.6 km |
| HorburyRiver gauge, River Calder | 0.39 m | Normal | −0.03 m | 8.8 km |
| DewsburyRiver gauge, River Calder | 0.51 m | Normal | −0.04 m | 11 km |
| Ledgard BridgeRiver gauge, River Calder | 0.11 m | Normal | −0.02 m | 16 km |
| Heaton LodgeRiver gauge, River Calder | 0.22 m | Low | −0.01 m | 18 km |
| BrighouseRiver gauge, River Calder | −1.16 m | Lowest on record | −0.08 m | 22 km |
| EllandRiver gauge, River Calder | 0.45 m | Low | −0.01 m | 23 km |
| Copley BridgeRiver gauge, River Calder | 0.36 m | Normal | −0.02 m | 27 km |
| Sowerby BridgeRiver gauge, River Calder | 0.06 m | Normal | ±0 | 29 km |
| BrearleyRiver gauge, River Calder | 0.20 m | Normal | −0.03 m | 33 km |
| MytholmroydRiver gauge, River Calder | 1.44 m | Normal | −0.02 m | 34 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LofthouseRiver gauge, Oulton Beck | 0.47 m | Normal | ±0 | 4.0 km |
| WrenthorpeRiver gauge, Balne Beck | 0.40 m | Low | ±0 | 4.1 km |
| Farrer LaneRiver gauge, Oulton Beck | 0.08 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 4.3 km |
| Wakefield Brooks BankRiver gauge, Balne Beck | −0.03 m | Very low | ±0 | 4.4 km |
| Wakefield WestgateRiver gauge, Ings Beck | 0.35 m | Very low | ±0 | 4.4 km |
| Wakefield ColinswayRiver gauge, Ings Beck | 0.23 m | Very low | ±0 | 4.4 km |
| Wakefield OakenshawRiver gauge, Oakenshaw Beck | 0.03 m | Normal | ±0 | 4.6 km |
| Wakefield Henry Street BridgeRiver gauge, Alverthorpe Beck | −0.05 m | Very low | ±0 | 4.7 km |
Questions and answers
How does the River Calder at Birkwood compare with last year?
It is 0.02 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.69 m.
What is a normal level for the River Calder at Birkwood in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.75 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.54 m and 1.23 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 0.66 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Birkwood today?
On 18 Oct 2026, 14:45 BST, the water level was 0.66 m. Down 0.04 m over the last 24 hours.
Is Birkwood rising or falling?
Down 0.04 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.06 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Birkwood 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 Birkwood?
The highest level on record is 5.22 m on October 21, 2023. The lowest is 0.37 m on October 10, 2018.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:L1303(Agency page)- Coordinates
53.70997, -1.46409(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 | 0.66 m | 2026-10-18 13:45 | 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: Birkwood (ea:L1303). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/west-yorkshire/birkwood
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