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Kirkstall Abbey water level

River gauge, River Aire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

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Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

1.48m Down 0.02 m over the last 24 hours

2 3 Highest onrecord 3.28 m Lowest on record 1.36 m

History

History
1.51.61.7mOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 17Oct 18Bottom of normal range1.51.61.7mOct 16Oct 17Oct 18Bottom of normal range
1.51.82.02.3mOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range1.51.82.02.3mOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
1.41.61.8mJanMarMayJulSepNov20261.41.61.8mJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

At 1.48 m, the River Aire at Kirkstall Abbey is below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.04 m below the median of 1.52 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 1.45 m (+0.03 m).

The level is falling, down 0.02 m over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.47 m and 1.53 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
1.52 m0.04 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
1.46 m – 1.68 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range
1.44 m – 2.20 m
Same day last year
1.45 m+0.03 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
1.47 m – 1.53 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
1.42 m – 1.91 m
Highest on record
3.28 mDecember 26, 2015
Lowest on record
1.36 mSeptember 11, 2001

On the river at Kirkstall Abbey

Low, clear water makes fish wary, and anglers often do better early and late in the day. For canoeists, shallow riffles mean scraped hulls and the odd portage.

Flood warnings for the area come from the Environment Agency.

About the River Aire

River Aire

The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, 92 miles (148 km) in length. Part of the river below Leeds is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation.

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

18 Sun 12° 7° – Wind 17 km/h
19 Mon 14° 9° 3.1 mm, 84% Wind 19 km/h
20 Tue 12° 10° 10 mm, 67% Wind 12 km/h
21 Wed 11° 7° 1.3 mm, 60% Wind 23 km/h
22 Thu 12° 5° 2.7 mm, 32% Wind 18 km/h
23 Fri 9° 5° – Wind 22 km/h
24 Sat 10° 5° – Wind 29 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:05 PM Daylight 10 hr, 25 min First quarter 50%

Map

Other gauges on the River Aire

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
ArmleyRiver gauge, River Aire 0.44 m Normal −0.08 m 2.8 km
Leeds Crown PointRiver gauge, River Aire 0.55 m Normal −0.02 m 5.4 km
Leeds Crown Point Flood Alleviation SchemeRiver gauge, River Aire 23.66 m Very low −0.02 m 5.5 km
Apperley BridgeRiver gauge, River Aire 0.06 m Lowest on record −0.05 m 6.9 km
Leeds Knostrop Weir Flood Alleviation SchemeRiver gauge, River Aire 22.41 m Low −0.03 m 7.7 km
SaltaireRiver gauge, River Aire 0.37 m Low −0.03 m 12 km
Oulton LemonroydRiver gauge, River Aire 0.30 m Low −0.04 m 14 km
Cottingley BridgeRiver gauge, River Aire 0.46 m Normal −0.04 m 15 km
BingleyRiver gauge, River Aire 0.26 m Normal −0.01 m 16 km
CastlefordRiver gauge, River Aire 1.12 m Very low −0.06 m 19 km
StockbridgeRiver gauge, River Aire 0.01 m Low −0.05 m 20 km
Ferrybridge LockRiver gauge, River Aire 0.14 m Low −0.02 m 25 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Horsforth Cornmill ViewRiver gauge, Oil Mill Beck 0.65 m Normal −0.02 m 2.0 km
MeanwoodRiver gauge, Meanwood Beck 0.23 m Normal −0.01 m 2.4 km
PudseyRiver gauge, Farnley Beck 0.04 m Lowest on record ±0 2.9 km
WortleyRiver gauge, Wortley Beck 0.06 m Low −0.02 m 4.6 km
Leeds Killingbeck DamRiver gauge, Wyke Beck 0.09 m Lowest on record −0.02 m 7.9 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Aire at Kirkstall Abbey compare with last year?

It is 0.03 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.45 m.

What is a normal level for the River Aire at Kirkstall Abbey in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1.52 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.46 m and 1.68 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 1.48 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Kirkstall Abbey today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 14:30 BST, the water level was 1.48 m. Down 0.02 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Kirkstall Abbey rising or falling?

Down 0.02 m over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Kirkstall Abbey 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 Kirkstall Abbey?

The highest level on record is 3.28 m on December 26, 2015. The lowest is 1.36 m on September 11, 2001.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:L1708 (Agency page)
Coordinates
53.81961, -1.60502 (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 1.48 m 2026-10-18 13:30 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Kirkstall Abbey (ea:L1708). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/west-yorkshire/kirkstall-abbey

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.