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Does Rye flood? 92 postcodes in Rye are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (24 High, 18 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 12:59:57 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Rye is a town and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England, two miles from the English Channel at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede. In the mid-twelfth century, it was an important member of the mediaeval Cinque Ports confederation, it was at the head of an embayment of the English Channel, and almost entirely surrounded by the sea. Over the subsequent centuries, the coastline has moved further away due to a combination of natural silting up from storm damage, changes in the flow of the River Rother, and tidal changes, along with deliberate land reclamation from the sea.
Ordnance Survey places 92 postcodes in Rye 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 3,104 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 24 | 346 | 205 |
| Medium | 18 | 571 | 559 |
| Low | 6 | 254 | 222 |
| Very low | 44 | 1,933 | 985 |
| All bands | 92 | 3,104 | 1,971 |
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.
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 Rye's gauges: the River Brede (about 80 m) and Rock Channel (River Tillingham) (about 80 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 Rye'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.
Rye is monitored by 2 Environment Agency river level stations on the River Brede, the River Rother, in East Sussex. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The River Brede is monitored by 1 station (Brede Sluice Gate). The River Rother is monitored by 1 station (Rye 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 Rye. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Rye Town, Rye Harbour and Harbour Road and East Guldeford; New Winchelsea Road, upstream of Harbour Road Rye; Rye properties along the Tillingham, upstream of Winchelsea Road; Kings Avenue Estate and Rock Channel riverside properties, Rye.
There are 16 storm overflows within 5km of Rye. None of the 16 with a reporting monitor are currently discharging. 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 Rye, 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.
Rye gets about 764 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month November, 95 mm; driest March, 44 mm). That is 34% 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.
Rye has river level monitoring on River Brede, River Rother — 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.
No recorded flood outline is mapped around the Rye town centre means no flood was mapped here, which is not evidence none happened: the Environment Agency mapped only some floods, mapping effort rose sharply after about 2000, and surface-water flooding is largely absent from this record. FloodRadar has separately logged 10 flood warnings or alerts for the East Sussex area since February 2026. See the flood history link below.
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