Does Oakham flood?
What the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data says about Oakham
Ordnance Survey places 20 postcodes in Oakham 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 67 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| Medium | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Low | 11 | 48 | 46 |
| Very low | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| All bands | 20 | 67 | 60 |
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.
The watercourse nearest Oakham
The nearest watercourse on the river map is Barleythorpe Brook, about 700 m from the middle of Oakham's at-risk postcodes. It flows into the River Gwash North Arm (River Gwash) about 2.3 km downstream.
- Next gauge downstreamRYHALL PS on the River Gwash, about 27 km along the river.
Sensor under review, reading not shown
After that, BELMESTHORPE GS GSM, about 27 km along the river. - Storm overflows4 storm overflows are traced upstream of RYHALL PS on the river map. See them on its page.
- Nearest gauge upstreamNone on the river map within 30 km upstream.
A gauge downstream shows water that has already passed this point; one upstream sees it first. Distances along the river are from the point on Barleythorpe Brook nearest the middle of Oakham'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 Oakham
1 Environment Agency flood warning area lies within 10 km of Oakham. The EA has issued no flood warning or alert for them since 2006 — the state of the warning record, not evidence the area has not flooded.
Recorded floods near Oakham
Floods whose mapped extent (EA Recorded Flood Outlines) reached within ~5 km of Oakham, most recent first. Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded. See them on the map →
- 31 Oct 2000 — Wreake October 2000 Main river
- 10 Apr 1998 — Wreake April 1998 Main river
- 9 Apr 1998 — LNA_1998_April_River Welland Main river
- 23 Feb 1977 — Wreake 1977 Main river
Rainfall near Oakham
Oakham gets about 700 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 69 mm; driest March, 45 mm). That is 40% drier than the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 2.3 km from the place centre.
The nearest rain gauge, Rainfall station (3.3 km away), recorded 0.0 mm in the last 24 hours and 34.7 mm in the last 7 days (latest reading 29 min ago).
At-risk postcodes in Oakham
Every postcode Ordnance Survey places in Oakham that appears in the EA's rivers-and-sea dataset, worst band first. Each links to its own flood-risk page.
High likelihood (4)
Medium likelihood (4)
Low likelihood (11)
Very low likelihood (1)
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.