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Does Penzance flood? 84 postcodes in Penzance are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (51 High, 7 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 04:45:34 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Penzance is a town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England. It lies 64 miles (103 km) west-southwest of Plymouth, 255 miles (410 km) west-southwest of London, and 9 miles (14 km) east of Land's End. Penzance railway station is the terminus of the Cornish Main Line and is both the southernmost and westernmost station in England. Situated in the shelter of Mount's Bay, the town faces south-east onto the English Channel. As well as Penzance itself, the parish also includes the fishing port of Newlyn and the villages of Mousehole, Paul, Gulval, and Heamoor. At the 2021 census the population of the parish was 20,734 and the population of the Penzance built-up area as defined by the Office for National Statistics was 14,960.
Ordnance Survey places 84 postcodes in Penzance 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 628 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 51 | 315 | 234 |
| Medium | 7 | 95 | 70 |
| Low | 15 | 120 | 93 |
| Very low | 11 | 98 | 48 |
| All bands | 84 | 628 | 445 |
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.
Trevarrack · Mousehole · Longrock · St Ives
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.
The nearest watercourse on the river map is Larriggan River, about 10 m from the middle of Penzance's gauges. It flows on to the sea.
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 Larriggan River nearest the middle of Penzance'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.
Penzance is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the Lariggan River, in Cornwall. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The Lariggan River is monitored by 1 station (Penzance Alverton). Each station records water levels continuously, with data synced to FloodRadar every 5 minutes.
There are 4 Environment Agency flood warning areas within 10km of Penzance. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Riverside properties and roads along the Newlyn Coombe River at Newlyn including The Strand, The Coombe and Tolcarne; South Cornwall coast at Mounts Bay, seafront properties in Newlyn, Penzance, Longrock and Marazion; Lands End to Lizard Point including Mousehole, Newlyn, Penzance, Longrock, Marazion, Praa Sands and Porthleven; South Cornwall coast at Mounts Bay, properties located behind the sea front in Newlyn, Penzance, Longrock and Marazion.
There are 9 storm overflows within 5km of Penzance. None of the 8 with a reporting monitor are currently discharging (1 has 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 Penzance, 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.
Penzance gets about 1,197 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month November, 148 mm; driest May, 66 mm). That is close to 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), 2.6 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.
Penzance has river level monitoring on Lariggan River — 1 monitoring station 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 19 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2024. 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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