Does Southwark flood?

What the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data says about Southwark

Ordnance Survey places 665 postcodes in Southwark 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 15,266 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.

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.

Rivers and live river levels near Southwark

Environment Agency gauges within 10 km of Southwark watch Thames Tideway, River Lee, River Ravensbourne, River Pool, River Quaggy, River Graveney.

• Tower Pier Tidal
  Thames Tideway · 1.5 km away -0.63 mAOD
  rises and falls with the tide · 26 min ago
• Westminster Tidal
  Thames Tideway · 1.8 km away -0.13 mAOD
  rises and falls with the tide · 26 min ago
• Lea Bridge
  River Lee · 8.1 km away 5.89 m
  normal range · 26 min ago
• Charlton Tidal
  Thames Tideway · 8.2 km away -1.10 mAOD
  rises and falls with the tide · 26 min ago
• Catford Hill
  River Ravensbourne · 8.3 km away 0.10 m
  normal range · 26 min ago
• Winsford Road
  River Pool · 8.8 km away 0.09 m
  normal range · steady · 26 min ago
• Manor House Gardens
  River Quaggy · 8.8 km away 0.06 m
  normal range · steady · 26 min ago
• Walthamstow, Low Hall Structure
  River Lee · 9.0 km away 0.07 m
  controlled by a sluice or weir · 26 min ago
• Abercairn Road
  River Graveney · 9.9 km away 0.93 m
  normal range · steady · 26 min ago

Distances are from the middle of Southwark's at-risk postcodes. Tidal and structure gauges are shown as readings only — the tide and sluice gates move them, not floods. A gauge with no recent reading shows no level.

Flood warning areas near Southwark

39 Environment Agency flood warning areas lie within 10 km of Southwark. The EA has issued 113 flood warnings and alerts for them since 2006, most recently on 25 Oct 2026.

• River Thames from London Bridge to Hungerford Bridge including Borough, the South Bank, Elephant and Castle and Waterloo
  no warning on record since 2006 0.3 km
• River Thames at Walworth including south Elephant and Castle, Kennington and north Lambeth
  no warning on record since 2006 1.5 km
• River Thames including areas in the boroughs of Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, Lambeth and Wandsworth
  2 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Feb 2008 1.6 km
• River Thames from Rotherhithe Station to London Bridge including Rotherhithe, north Bermondsey and London Bridge
  no warning on record since 2006 1.6 km
• River Thames from Blackfriars Bridge to Vauxhall Bridge including Temple, Embankment and Houses of Parliament
  no warning on record since 2006 1.8 km
• River Thames from Hungerford Bridge to Battersea Power Station including Waterloo, Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, Oval and Nine Elms
  no warning on record since 2006 2.1 km
• River Thames riverside from the Thames Barrier to Putney Bridge
  107 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2026 2.1 km
• River Thames from the Limehouse Basin to Blackfriar's Bridge including Shadwell, Wapping, St. Katherines Dock and Upper Thames Street
  no warning on record since 2006 2.2 km
• River Thames at Camberwell including Burgess Park, north Camberwell and Kennington Park
  no warning on record since 2006 2.5 km
• River Thames including areas in the boroughs of Tower Hamlets, the City of London, the City of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea
  2 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Feb 2008 2.6 km
• River Thames at Westminster including St James's Park, Victoria and Westminster Cathedral
  no warning on record since 2006 2.7 km
• River Thames at South Bermondsey including the Den and areas between the Old Kent Road and the railway line
  no warning on record since 2006 2.8 km

Recorded floods near Southwark

Floods whose mapped extent (EA Recorded Flood Outlines) reached within ~5 km of Southwark, most recent first. Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded. See them on the map →

• 1 Jan 1947 — 06MarchSpring1947 Main river
• 6 Jan 1928 — TTD_FEO_1928 Main river
• 1 Jan 1928 — TTD_FEO_1928 Main river

Rainfall near Southwark

Southwark gets about 614 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 66 mm; driest March, 37 mm). That is 47% drier than the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 2.4 km from the place centre.

The nearest rain gauge, Rainfall station (7.4 km away), recorded 2.8 mm in the last 24 hours and 60.6 mm in the last 7 days (latest reading 41 min ago).

At-risk postcodes in Southwark

Every postcode Ordnance Survey places in Southwark that appears in the EA's rivers-and-sea dataset, worst band first. Each links to its own flood-risk page.

Very low likelihood (665)

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.