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0.64

Birkwood

Calder
Aire and Calder catchment • Birkwood • West Yorkshire • ID: L1303 • Level
(36m ago) • 1 reading/hr • 172 views

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Current Level
0.644 m
▬ Steady
24h Max
0.712 m
24h Min
0.641 m
Typical Range
0.52 - 1.65
m
Highest Recorded
5.22 m
EA official record
4.91 in our data (since Apr 2003)
Current level is 12% of this
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Recent Readings

Steady over 7h
23 Aug 22:30 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.644 m
23 Aug 21:30 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.647 m
23 Aug 21:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.649 m
23 Aug 20:45 ▬ steady 0.650 m
23 Aug 20:30 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.650 m
23 Aug 20:00 ▬ steady 0.649 m
23 Aug 19:45 ▬ steady 0.649 m
23 Aug 19:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.649 m
23 Aug 19:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.650 m
23 Aug 18:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.651 m
23 Aug 18:30 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.652 m
23 Aug 18:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.655 m
23 Aug 17:45 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.656 m
23 Aug 17:30 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.655 m
23 Aug 17:15 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.653 m
23 Aug 16:45 ▲ +0.7 cm 0.651 m
23 Aug 16:15 ▲ +0.3 cm 0.644 m
23 Aug 16:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.641 m
23 Aug 15:45 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.642 m
23 Aug 15:30 0.645 m

Rainfall & Weather

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Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2011 for the 18 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 1.0 km away).

64flood warnings 79flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 6 Jan 2025Fosterford Beck and Balne Beck at Wrenthorpe

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 0 1
2025 3 8
2024 2 12
2023 9 9
2022 6 5
2021 6 4
2020 11 7
2019 5 7
2018 1 2
2017 0 1
2016 0 3
2015 11 6
2014 0 2
2013 0 1
2012 10 9
2011 0 2

Warnings apply to a whole flood area, not necessarily this exact spot. Years before 2006 aren't covered by the EA's historic record. See also the Birkwood flood history.

Nearby Stations

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Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Birkwood
  • Watercourse: River Calder
  • Nearest Town: Birkwood
  • County: West Yorkshire
  • Nearest reservoir: Ardsley Esr (6.6 km) · 61.5% full (as of 10 Aug 2026)
  • Coordinates: 53°42'36"N 1°27'51"W (53.709969, -1.464095)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 22 Apr 2003
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station
  • Station Reference: L1303
  • EA Gauge ID: L1303-level-stage-i-15_min-m
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: m
  • Typical rise rate: 4 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Aire and Calder
  • Typical Range: 0.522 – 1.652 m
  • EA Cross-check: 0.65 m (EA at 23 Aug 22:15)

Geographic coordinates may reflect the access point for the gauge, and not the precise location in the watercourse that it is taking readings from.

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Calder at Birkwood flooding today?

The current level is 0.64m, which is within the typical range of 0.52 to 1.65m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Birkwood?

Based on the most recent readings, the level is currently steady. The chart above shows the last 7 days of measurements, updated roughly every 15 minutes.

Why is the level slowly falling?

When little or no rain has fallen for a while, a river level gradually drops as the water stored in the ground and soil drains away with nothing to replace it. This is called baseflow recession and is normal in dry spells. A gentle decline like this is expected and is not a sign of a problem — downstream gauges often recede a little faster than headwaters further upstream, and levels recover once rain returns.

What is a normal level for the River Calder at Birkwood?

The typical range at this station is 0.52m to 1.65m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 1.65m are higher than usually seen and may indicate a flood risk.

How often is this river level data updated?

Readings are taken by the Environment Agency gauge roughly every 15 minutes and FloodRadar refreshes its data continuously, so the level shown is normally less than an hour old.

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📮 Flood risk by postcode near this gauge

Postcodes within 5 km with properties in the Environment Agency’s rivers-and-sea flood-risk bands:

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🏠 Buying or renting around here? Get the Property Flood-Risk Report for any English postcode — official risk band, floods since 1946, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off. Learn more →