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Ford Bridge water level

River gauge, River Lugg, Herefordshire, United Kingdom

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Right now

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.05m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 3 4 Highest onrecord 3.87 m Lowest on record 0.01 m

History

History
-0.00.30.50.8mOct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 16Oct 18Bottom of normal range-0.00.30.50.8mOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Bottom of normal range
-0.00.30.50.8mSep 18Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18Bottom of normal range-0.00.30.50.8mSep 18Oct 3Oct 18Bottom of normal range
-012mDec 2022Dec 2023Nov 2024Nov 2025Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range-012mDec 2022Nov 2024Oct 2026Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range
-012mJanMarMayJulSepNov2026-012mJanAprJulOct2026

20232026

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

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

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".

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

18 Sun 13° 2° – Wind 16 km/h
19 Mon 13° 7° 4.7 mm, 99% Wind 16 km/h
20 Tue 12° 4° 0.1 mm, 78% Wind 6 km/h
21 Wed 8° 1° 8.1 mm, 49% Wind 28 km/h
22 Thu 12° 1° 3.1 mm, 77% Wind 16 km/h
23 Fri 8° 6° 28 mm, 76% Wind 50 km/h
24 Sat 13° 5° – Wind 29 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:12 PM Daylight 10 hr, 31 min First quarter 50%

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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 0.05 m 2026-10-18 14:45 Provisional

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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.