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Does Manchester flood? 1,209 postcodes in Manchester are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (143 High, 277 Medium likelihood) — the breakdown is further down this page.
No official flood warning is active nearby and the closest river stations are within normal ranges.
Updated 2026-10-10 04:45:35 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in North West England, at the centre of the eponymous county of Greater Manchester. It had a population of over 589,000 in 2024. It borders the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the city of Salford to the west. The two cities and the surrounding towns form one of the United Kingdom's most populous conurbations, the Greater Manchester Built-up Area, which has a population of 2.87 million.
Ordnance Survey places 1,209 postcodes in Manchester 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 21,403 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 143 | 1,244 | 1,075 |
| Medium | 277 | 3,765 | 3,537 |
| Low | 747 | 15,495 | 14,239 |
| Very low | 42 | 899 | 867 |
| All bands | 1,209 | 21,403 | 19,718 |
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.
…and 1,109 more at-risk postcodes, listed on the district pages below.
Stretford · Middleton · Eccles · Sale · Dukinfield · Wythenshawe · Worsley · Altrincham
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.
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.
Two mapped watercourses are about the same distance from the middle of Manchester's gauges: the River Irk (about 850 m) and the River Medlock (about 990 m), so this page cannot say which one is nearer to you.
Distances along the river are from the point on each watercourse nearest the middle of Manchester's gauges. 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.
Manchester is monitored by 2 Environment Agency river level stations on the River Irk, the River Medlock, in Greater Manchester. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The River Irk is monitored by 1 station (Collyhurst Weir). The River Medlock is monitored by 1 station (London Road). Each station records water levels continuously, with data synced to FloodRadar every 5 minutes.
There are 8 Environment Agency flood warning areas within 10km of Manchester. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Areas at risk include properties adjacent to the river Irk from Cheetham Hill Junction to Victoria Station. This includes Collyhurst Road, Roger Street and Scotland Bridge; Areas at risk include properties on Linton Grove, the odds side of Ancoats Grove, and lower parts of Harding Street and Tutbury Street; Areas at risk include properties on Grace Walk, the evens side of Ancoats Grove, and parts of Palmerston Street.; Properties at risk include the areas from Pin Mill Brow, Ancoats to Castle Street between the Railway Line and Mancunian Way. This includes Raven St, the University Campus between Sackville St and Altrincham St, Charles St, Hulme St and Commercial St.
There are 116 storm overflows within 5km of Manchester. None of the 108 with a reporting monitor are currently discharging (8 have no live status right now). Enable "Sewage" on the map above to see their locations.
6 of them, nearest first, with their own page of live status and past discharges:
If flooding is forecast in Manchester, call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 for the latest information. Move valuables upstairs, turn off gas and electricity if safe to do so, and avoid walking or driving through flood water. Sign up for flood warnings on any station page above to receive email alerts when water levels rise. For emergency numbers, a preparation checklist and insurance guidance, see our flood help & preparation guide.
Manchester gets about 888 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 94 mm; driest April, 54 mm). That is 24% drier than the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year. See the rain gauges →
A thirty-year average for the area, not a forecast and not a flood risk on its own. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 2.5 km away. Average rainfall: HadUK-Grid v1.3.2, Met Office. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Floods whose mapped extent (EA Recorded Flood Outlines) reached within ~5 km of the town centre — most recent first. These are records of mapped extents, not a full list of floods. See them on the map →
Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded.
Current verdict: Normal. No official flood warning is active nearby and the closest river stations are within normal ranges.
Manchester has river level monitoring on River Irk, River Medlock — 2 monitoring stations in total.
Use the GOV.UK Check for Flooding service (check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk) or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 (24 hours). You can also set up free FloodRadar email or browser alerts from any station page above.
Follow official advice: move valuables and vehicles to safety, never walk or drive through flood water, turn off gas and electricity if safe, and check on vulnerable neighbours. See our flood preparation guide at floodradar.co.uk/flood-help.
Yes — the Environment Agency's Recorded Flood Outlines dataset shows 4 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2019. That is a count of mapped extents, not of separate floods. Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded. See the flood history link below.
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