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Does Poole flood? 169 postcodes in Poole are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (42 High, 55 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 2026-10-09 13:00:29 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Poole is a coastal town, seaport on the south coast of England and civil parish in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is 21 miles (34 km) east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. The town had an estimated population of 143,418 in 2024, making it the second-largest town in the ceremonial county of Dorset. Together with Bournemouth and Christchurch, the conurbation has a total population of 400,196 as of the 2021 census.
Ordnance Survey places 169 postcodes in Poole 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 2,035 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 42 | 357 | 184 |
| Medium | 55 | 643 | 458 |
| Low | 69 | 970 | 772 |
| Very low | 3 | 65 | 53 |
| All bands | 169 | 2,035 | 1,467 |
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 69 more at-risk postcodes, listed on the district pages below.
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 Little Channel (Back Water Channel) (tidal here), about 70 m from the middle of Poole's gauges. It flows into Main Channel about 1.9 km downstream.
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 Little Channel (Back Water Channel) nearest the middle of Poole'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.
Poole is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the Dorset Coast, in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The Dorset Coast is monitored by 1 station (Poole Harbour). 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 Poole. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Lower Hamworthy and areas of Poole from Old Town, The Quay to Hunger Hill; Swineham Point and The Moors, Wareham, Panorama Road, Grasmere Road, Seacombe Road, Brownsea Road, Banks Road and the car park on Sand Banks, Poole; Hamworthy Park and surrounding areas including Moriconium Quay, parts of Lulworth Avenue and parts of Branksea Avenue; Poole Harbour and tidal stretches of the Lower Frome and River Piddle.
There are 19 storm overflows within 5km of Poole. None of the 16 with a reporting monitor are currently discharging (3 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 Poole, 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.
Poole gets about 900 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month November, 114 mm; driest May, 49 mm). That is 23% 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), 2.4 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.
Poole has river level monitoring on Dorset Coast — 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 2 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2014. 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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