Ford Bridge water level
River gauge, River Lugg, Herefordshire, United Kingdom
Right now
Very low for mid-October
Water level
History
20232026
What this means
At 0.05 m, the River Lugg at Ford Bridge is far below normal for mid-October.
That puts it 0.26 m below the median of 0.31 m for mid-October, based on 16 years of readings. The lowest reading on record is 0.01 m (September 30, 2022).
The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.04 m and 0.05 m.
Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.
Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Median for this date
- 0.31 m0.26 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.13 m – 0.78 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (16 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.15 m – 2.00 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.04 m – 0.05 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.04 m – 0.05 m
- Highest on record
- 3.87 mJanuary 3, 2024
- Lowest on record
- 0.01 mSeptember 30, 2022
On the river at Ford Bridge
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 Lugg
The River Lugg rises near Llangynllo in Powys, Wales. From its source, it flows through the border town of Presteigne and then into Herefordshire, England. It meets its main tributary, the River Arrow, to the south of Leominster, then flows into the River Wye downstream of Hereford at Mordiford, around 63 miles (101 km) from its source. Its name comes from a Welsh root, and means "bright stream".
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 3.0 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 Lugg
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butts BridgeRiver gauge, River Lugg | 0.74 m | Low | +0.01 m | 3.9 km |
| Leominster Upper MarshRiver gauge, River Lugg | 0.31 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 4.7 km |
| LugwardineRiver gauge, River Lugg | 0.25 m | Normal | ±0 | 15 km |
| BytonRiver gauge, River Lugg | 0.27 m | Low | +0.03 m | 17 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leominster Osbourne PlaceRiver gauge, Kenwater | 0.48 m | Normal | ±0 | 4.7 km |
| EardislandRiver gauge, River Arrow | 0.27 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 9.7 km |
| Orleton Millbrook WayRiver gauge, Mill Brook | 0.10 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 12 km |
| Three ElmsRiver gauge, Yazor Brook | 0.04 m | Very low | ±0 | 14 km |
| Burford BridgeRiver gauge, Ledwyche Brook | 0.53 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 15 km |
| BromyardRiver gauge, River Frome (Wye) | 0.09 m | Normal | ±0 | 15 km |
| Hereford - Ledbury RoadRiver gauge, Yazor Brook | 1.77 m | Very high | ±0 | 15 km |
Questions and answers
What is a normal level for the River Lugg at Ford Bridge in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.31 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.13 m and 0.78 m, based on 16 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 0.05 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Ford Bridge today?
On 18 Oct 2026, 15:45 BST, the water level was 0.05 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Ford Bridge rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Ford Bridge normal?
Very low for mid-October. Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Ford Bridge?
The highest level on record is 3.87 m on January 3, 2024. The lowest is 0.01 m on September 30, 2022.
How often is this data updated?
The Environment Agency publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:055041(Agency page)- Coordinates
52.19192, -2.71872(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 | 0.05 m | 2026-10-18 14:45 | Provisional |
Download
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Ford Bridge (ea:055041). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/herefordshire/ford-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