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Whitby Flooding

North Yorkshire • Live river level monitoring on Tide
1 monitoring station
1 river
5 warning areas
🏠 Thinking of buying in Whitby? Get the detailed Property Flood-Risk Report for any Whitby postcode — official risk band, recorded floods since 1703, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off, instant. Learn more →

Does Whitby flood? 70 postcodes in Whitby are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (32 High, 1 Medium likelihood) — the breakdown is further down this page.

Flood risk in Whitby today: Normal

No official flood warning is active nearby and the closest river stations are within normal ranges.

Updated 2026-10-10 00:05:13 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide

About Whitby
Whitby
Coastal town in North Yorkshire, England

Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located at the mouth of the River Esk, where the North York Moors meet the Yorkshire Coast, and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. It is 47 miles (76 km) from York and 22 miles (35 km) from Middlesbrough.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Flood Contacts
Floodline 24hr
0345 988 1188
Emergency
999
The map of Whitby’s gauges and flood maps loads as you reach it.
Recent Flood Events
28 Sep 2026 09:19 Flood Alert
North Sea coast from Staithes to Whitby including tidal River Esk
28 Sep 2026 06:10 Flood Alert
North Sea coast from Staithes to Whitby including tidal River Esk
27 Sep 2026 22:20 Flood Alert
North Sea coast from Staithes to Whitby including tidal River Esk
27 Sep 2026 17:25 Flood Alert
North Sea coast from Staithes to Whitby including tidal River Esk
13 Sep 2026 08:49 Flood Alert
North Sea coast from Staithes to Whitby including tidal River Esk
12 Sep 2026 21:14 Flood Alert
North Sea coast from Staithes to Whitby including tidal River Esk

Does Whitby flood?

Ordnance Survey places 70 postcodes in Whitby 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 662 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.

EA likelihood bandPostcodes (worst band)Properties in the EA datasetof which homes
High3216781
Medium12511
Low34431204
Very low3393
All bands70662299

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.

The 70 at-risk postcodes in Whitby, worst band first

High likelihood (32)

Medium likelihood (1)

Low likelihood (34)

Very low likelihood (3)

Postcode districts

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.

All data sources & licences

The watercourse nearest Whitby

The nearest watercourse on the river map is the River Esk (tidal here), about 80 m from the middle of Whitby's gauges.

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 the River Esk nearest the middle of Whitby'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.

Useful Links
Flood Monitoring in Whitby

Whitby is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the Tide, in North Yorkshire. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.

Monitoring Stations

The Tide is monitored by 1 station (Whitby). Each station records water levels continuously, with data synced to FloodRadar every 5 minutes.

Flood Warning Areas

There are 5 Environment Agency flood warning areas within 10km of Whitby. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Whitby harbour area including Abrahams Quay, Pier Road, New Quay Road, Church Street, Campion Dock and Bagdale Road; Properties in Ruswarp on The Carrs, Sneaton Lane, Water Lane, Geln Esk Road and Riverside Walk; Properties on The Carrs, Whin Green and around Echo Hill and Beck Holme; The sea front (A174) and properties adjacent to the road.

Sewage Discharge Monitoring

There are 24 storm overflows within 5km of Whitby. None of the 22 with a reporting monitor are currently discharging (2 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:

What To Do During A Flood

If flooding is forecast in Whitby, 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.

How much rain falls on Whitby

Whitby gets about 701 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month November, 84 mm; driest May, 42 mm). That is 40% 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.

Recorded floods near Whitby

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 →

  • 2020-02-15 — 2020 February Flood Incident - Storm Dennis (Drainage)
  • 2020-02-15 — 2020 February Flood Incident - Storm Dennis (Ordinary watercourse)
  • 2020-02-15 — 2020 February Flood Incident - Storm Dennis (Main river)
  • 2020-02-15 — 2020 February Flood Incident - Storm Dennis (Main river)
  • 2020-02-08 — 2020 February Flood Incident - Storm Ciara (Drainage)
  • 2020-02-08 — 2020 February Flood Incident - Storm Ciara (Main river)
  • 2019-11-07 — 2019 November Flood Incident (Sea)
  • 2017-01-13 — East Coast Tidal Event January 2017 (Sea)
  • 2017-01-13 — East Coast Tidal Event January 2017 (Main river)
  • 2013-12-05 — East Coast Tidal Event 5th December 2013 (Sea)
  • 2013-12-05 — East Coast Tidal Event 5th December 2013 (Sea)
  • 2000-10-30 — Autumn 2000 Event (River)

Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded.

Frequently asked questions

Is there flooding in Whitby today?

Current verdict: Normal. No official flood warning is active nearby and the closest river stations are within normal ranges.

Which rivers affect Whitby?

Whitby has river level monitoring on Tide — 1 monitoring station in total.

How do I check official flood warnings for Whitby?

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.

What should I do during a flood warning?

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.

Has Whitby flooded before?

Yes — the Environment Agency's Recorded Flood Outlines dataset shows 11 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2017. 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.

🏠 Buying or renting around here? Get the Property Flood-Risk Report for any English postcode — official risk band, recorded floods, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off. Learn more →