Does Kelvedon flood?
What the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data says about Kelvedon
Ordnance Survey places 25 postcodes in Kelvedon in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk dataset (Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea). Each postcode is counted once, under the worst band any of its properties reaches; together they hold 202 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 14 | 77 | 65 |
| Medium | 3 | 39 | 37 |
| Low | 8 | 86 | 73 |
| Very low | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All bands | 25 | 202 | 175 |
This dataset covers flooding from rivers and the sea only — one of five flood sources. Surface water, groundwater, sewers and reservoirs are assessed separately, so a postcode missing from it is not proof that a place cannot flood. The band describes the land around properties (allowing for defences), not any single address and not today's conditions.
Rivers and live river levels near Kelvedon
Environment Agency gauges within 10 km of Kelvedon watch River Blackwater, River Brain.
-
Appleford Bridge
River Blackwater · 3.5 km away 0.53 m
normal range · 38 min ago -
Guithavon Valley
River Brain · 6.1 km away 0.20 m
normal range · 38 min ago -
Stisted
River Blackwater · 8.9 km away 0.51 m
normal range · 38 min ago
Distances are from the middle of Kelvedon's at-risk postcodes. Tidal and structure gauges are shown as readings only — the tide and sluice gates move them, not floods. A gauge with no recent reading shows no level.
The watercourse nearest Kelvedon
Two mapped watercourses are about the same distance from the middle of Kelvedon's at-risk postcodes: the River Blackwater (about 370 m) and Domsey Brook (about 490 m), so this page cannot say which one is nearer to you.
- The River BlackwaterNext gauge downstream Appleford Bridge, about 4.0 km along the river.
- Domsey BrookFlows into the River Blackwater about 10 m downstream; next gauge downstream Appleford Bridge, about 4.4 km along the river.
Distances along the river are from the point on each watercourse nearest the middle of Kelvedon's at-risk postcodes. From Ordnance Survey’s river map (OS Open Rivers), which leaves out small streams, ditches and culverts, so a nearer one may exist. This describes where water goes on the map; it says nothing about flooding at any address. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.
Flood warning areas near Kelvedon
2 Environment Agency flood warning areas lie within 10 km of Kelvedon. The EA has issued 50 flood warnings and alerts for them since 2006, most recently on 16 Feb 2026.
-
The River Blackwater from Braintree to Langford, including Coggeshall and Kelvedon
3 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Feb 2014 3.1 km -
The Rivers Pant and Blackwater from, Great Bardfield to Langford including Braintree, and the River Brain from, Black Notley to Witham
47 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Feb 2026 9.0 km
Recorded floods near Kelvedon
Floods whose mapped extent (EA Recorded Flood Outlines) reached within ~5 km of Kelvedon, most recent first. Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded. See them on the map →
- 5 Dec 2013 — 2013 Flood Outline Sea
- 9 Jan 2009 — 2009 Flood Outline Main river
- 21 Oct 2001 — 2001 Flood Outline Main river
- 12 Jan 1968 — 1968 September Flood Outline Main river
- 1 Jun 1958 — 1958 Flood Outline Other
- 31 Jan 1953 — 1953 Coast Flood Outline Essex Sea
- 13 Feb 1947 — 1947 Flood Outline Main river
Rainfall near Kelvedon
Kelvedon gets about 593 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 64 mm; driest March, 35 mm). That is 49% drier than the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 1.9 km from the place centre.
The nearest rain gauge, Rainfall station (2.4 km away), recorded 3.4 mm in the last 24 hours and 48.8 mm in the last 7 days (latest reading 38 min ago).
At-risk postcodes in Kelvedon
Every postcode Ordnance Survey places in Kelvedon that appears in the EA's rivers-and-sea dataset, worst band first. Each links to its own flood-risk page.
High likelihood (14)
Medium likelihood (3)
Low likelihood (8)
Postcode districts
Sources
FloodRadar summarises public flood data. It is not a flood-risk survey of any property, and it does not replace official GOV.UK flood warnings or the GOV.UK long-term flood risk service.
Flood-risk bands: © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. All rights reserved. Some features of this map are based on digital spatial data from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, © NERC (CEH). © Crown Copyright and Database Rights 2025 OS AC0000807064. This product is produced in part from PAF® and Multiple Residence Data, the copyright in which is owned by Royal Mail Group Limited and/or Royal Mail Group plc. All rights reserved. Licence number AC0000807064.
Recorded Flood Outlines, flood warning areas and warning history © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
River levels and rainfall: Environment Agency real-time flood-monitoring data, updated every 15 minutes (Open Government Licence v3.0).
Average rainfall: HadUK-Grid v1.3.2, Met Office. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Place names: Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.