Does Whimple flood?

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

Ordnance Survey places 21 postcodes in Whimple 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 68 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 Whimple

Environment Agency gauges within 10 km of Whimple watch Ford Stream, River Clyst, River Tale, River Culm, River Otter, River Clyst Tributary, Cole Brook.

• Rockbeare Bridge
  Ford Stream · 3.2 km away No recent reading
  last reported 26 Oct 2026 18:00
• Ashclyst
  River Clyst · 3.4 km away 0.16 m
  normal range · steady · 27 min ago
• Fairmile
  River Tale · 4.4 km away 0.44 m
  normal range · 27 min ago
• Clyst Honiton
  River Clyst · 6.8 km away 0.87 m
  normal range · 27 min ago
• Withy Bridge
  River Clyst · 7.0 km away 0.16 m
  normal range · steady · 27 min ago
• Bradninch Hele Station Road
  River Culm · 7.1 km away 1.32 m
  normal range · rising · 27 min ago
• Fenny Bridges
  River Otter · 7.2 km away 0.38 m
  normal range · just past its peak · 27 min ago
• Woodmill Structure
  River Culm · 8.8 km away 0.63 m
  controlled by a sluice or weir · 27 min ago
• Clyst St Mary Millstream Footbridge
  River Clyst Tributary · 9.2 km away 2.35 mAOD
  normal range · rising · 27 min ago
• Clyst St Mary Millstream Outfall
  River Clyst Tributary · 9.4 km away 2.25 mAOD
  normal range · just past its peak · 27 min ago
• Cullompton Swallow Way
  Cole Brook · 9.5 km away No recent reading
  last reported 26 Oct 2026 18:00
• Dotton
  River Otter · 9.8 km away 0.45 m
  normal range · rising · 27 min ago

Distances are from the middle of Whimple'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 Whimple

8 Environment Agency flood warning areas lie within 10 km of Whimple. The EA has issued 405 flood warnings and alerts for them since 2006, most recently on 18 Feb 2026.

• low lying properties and roads in Ottery St. Mary, including the Finnimore Industrial Estate, Thorne Farm Way and Luxtons Park
  3 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Jan 2026 5.2 km
• riverside locations and roads between Broadclyst and Clyst St. Mary, including Broadclyst, Ashclyst, Clyston Mill, Sowton Barton, Newcourt Barton, the A3052 at Clyst Honiton, and the B3181 at Broadclyst
  70 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Feb 2026 5.8 km
• riverside properties and roads at Clyst Honiton, including Clyst Honiton Bridge, Blackhorse and the A3052
  10 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Jan 2026 6.9 km
• riverside locations and roads between Cullompton and Stoke Canon, including Woodmill, Hele, Silverton Mills, Rewe, Huxham, Old Mill Trading Estate, the A396 at Stoke Canon, the B3185 at Silverton, and the Exeter to London Paddington railway line
  26 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Jan 2026 7.9 km
• Hemyock, Cullompton, Stoke Canon, Broadclyst and Clyst St Mary areas
  280 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Feb 2026 9.1 km
• low lying properties and roads in Clyst St. Mary, including Frog Lane
  4 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Jan 2026 9.3 km
• riverside properties and roads including Tipton St John, Harpford, Newton Poppleford including the A3052, Colaton Raleigh, Otterton and Budleigh Salterton
  8 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Jan 2026 9.6 km
• Properties and roads in low lying areas of Cullompton, including Station Road, Longbridge Meadow, Alexandria Industrial Estate, Rivermead, Meadow Lane and Knightswood areas
  4 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Jan 2026 9.8 km

Recorded floods near Whimple

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

• 30 Oct 2008 — Feniton Surface Water Flooding 2008 Other
• 30 Oct 2008 — Culm7 Main river
• 30 Oct 2008 — OSM2 Ordinary watercourse
• 30 Oct 2008 — West Hill2 Ordinary watercourse
• 30 Oct 2008 — Otter Catchment12 Main river
• 30 Oct 2008 — Whimple North Main river
• 30 Oct 2008 — Fluxton Ordinary watercourse
• 30 Oct 2008 — Gosford Main river
• 30 Oct 2008 — Taleford Main river
• 30 Oct 2008 — Salston Ordinary watercourse
• 30 Oct 2008 — West Hill1 Ordinary watercourse
• 30 Oct 2008 — Rockbeare Main river

…and 31 earlier recorded floods on the map.

Rainfall near Whimple

Whimple gets about 857 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month November, 101 mm; driest May, 50 mm). That is 26% drier than the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 1.8 km from the place centre.

The nearest rain gauge, Rainfall station (6.7 km away), recorded 8.6 mm in the last 24 hours and 63.6 mm in the last 7 days (latest reading 27 min ago).

At-risk postcodes in Whimple

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

High likelihood (13)

Medium likelihood (8)

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.