Sowerby Bridge water level

Name: Sowerby Bridge water level (Environment Agency)
Creator: Environment Agency
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

River gauge, River Calder, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

0.06m Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured 18 Oct 2026, 09:00 BST (36 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Sowerby Bridge, where the gauge shows 0.06 m.

The median for mid-October is 0.06 m, based on 21 years of readings, and the gauge is right on it. A year ago it stood at 0.06 m as well.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 0.04 m – 0.23 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: 0.06 m0.00 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date: −0.10 m – 0.22 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Normal range: 0.00 m – 1.40 m
Same day last year: 0.06 m0.00 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 0.04 m – 0.23 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: −0.05 m – 0.53 m
Highest on record: 3.55 mDecember 26, 2015
Lowest on record: −0.22 mOctober 20, 2003

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.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 2.3 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 11° 5° – Wind 17 km/h

19 Mon 13° 9° 2.6 mm, 87% Wind 21 km/h

20 Tue 11° 8° 13 mm, 71% Wind 12 km/h

21 Wed 10° 6° 0.2 mm, 65% Wind 26 km/h

22 Thu 11° 5° 1.5 mm, 51% Wind 22 km/h

23 Fri 7° 5° – Wind 24 km/h

24 Sat 10° 5° 1.8 mm, 82% Wind 32 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:06 PM Daylight 10 hr, 26 min First quarter 48%

Map

Other gauges on the River Calder

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Copley BridgeRiver gauge, River Calder	0.36 m	Normal	−0.02 m	2.8 km
BrearleyRiver gauge, River Calder	0.20 m	Normal	−0.04 m	4.0 km
MytholmroydRiver gauge, River Calder	1.45 m	Normal	−0.02 m	5.4 km
EllandRiver gauge, River Calder	0.45 m	Low	−0.02 m	6.7 km
BrighouseRiver gauge, River Calder	−1.16 m	Lowest on record	−0.01 m	7.8 km
Hebden BridgeRiver gauge, River Calder	0.10 m	Normal	−0.04 m	8.4 km
Todmorden Callis BridgeRiver gauge, River Calder	0.01 m	Low	−0.02 m	9.2 km
Todmorden MillwoodRiver gauge, River Calder	0.21 m	Normal	−0.04 m	11 km
TodmordenRiver gauge, River Calder	0.45 m	Normal	−0.03 m	12 km
Heaton LodgeRiver gauge, River Calder	0.22 m	Low	−0.01 m	12 km
Ledgard BridgeRiver gauge, River Calder	0.09 m	Normal	−0.03 m	15 km
Portsmouth Lennox RoadRiver gauge, River Calder	0.47 m	High	−0.02 m	16 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sowerby Bridge Scar Head RoadRiver gauge, River Ryburn	0.57 m	Normal	±0	0.2 km
HalifaxRiver gauge, Hebble Brook	0.05 m	Very low	±0	3.3 km
Stainland Board MillsRiver gauge, Black Brook	0.18 m	Normal	±0	4.4 km
RippondenRiver gauge, River Ryburn	0.15 m	Low	±0	5.2 km
Mytholmroyd Dauber BridgeRiver gauge, Cragg Brook	0.09 m	Very low	±0	5.4 km
NutcloughRiver gauge, Hebden Water	−0.03 m	Very low	−0.02 m	7.7 km

Questions and answers

How does the River Calder at Sowerby Bridge compare with last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.06 m.

What is a normal level for the River Calder at Sowerby Bridge in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.06 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between −0.10 m and 0.22 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 0.06 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Sowerby Bridge today?

On 18 Oct 2026, 09:00 BST, the water level was 0.06 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Sowerby Bridge rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Sowerby Bridge 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 Sowerby Bridge?

The highest level on record is 3.55 m on December 26, 2015. The lowest is −0.22 m on October 20, 2003.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment Agency
Station code: ea:L1205 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 53.70788, -1.91209 (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	0.06 m	2026-10-18 08:00	Provisional

Download

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<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/815?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Sowerby Bridge water level"></iframe>

How to cite

Environment Agency: Sowerby Bridge (ea:L1205). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/west-yorkshire/sowerby-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.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer