Does Windermere flood?

Flood warnings in force near Windermere

• Flood alert — Rivers Brathay, Rothay and Winster
  The heavy rain and strong winds from Storm Boelo continue to impact the area with showery rain and strong wind keeping river levels high with the potential for some flooding of low lying land 4.2 km

From the Environment Agency (England). Always check the GOV.UK Check for Flooding service or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188.

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

Ordnance Survey places 47 postcodes in Windermere 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 298 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 Windermere

Environment Agency gauges within 10 km of Windermere watch Trout Beck, Windermere, River Gowan, Cunsey Beck, River Rothay, River Brathay, Stock Ghyll, River Kent.

• Calgarth
  Trout Beck · 2.0 km away 0.97 m
  normal range · falling · 26 min ago
• Far Sawrey
  Windermere · 3.6 km away 1.01 m
  above typical high · rising · 26 min ago
• Staveley Village
  River Gowan · 5.9 km away 0.71 m
  normal range · falling · 26 min ago
• Eel House Bridge
  Cunsey Beck · 6.1 km away 1.19 m
  high for this river · rising · 26 min ago
• Miller Bridge House
  River Rothay · 6.9 km away 1.38 m
  normal range · falling · 26 min ago
• Jeffy Knotts
  River Brathay · 7.1 km away 2.16 m
  above typical high · falling · 26 min ago
• Ambleside Rydal Road
  Stock Ghyll · 7.2 km away 0.44 m
  normal range · falling · 26 min ago
• Bowston
  River Kent · 9.0 km away 0.78 m
  normal range · falling · 26 min ago

Distances are from the middle of Windermere'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 Windermere

7 Environment Agency flood warning areas lie within 10 km of Windermere. The EA has issued 488 flood warnings and alerts for them since 2006, most recently on 25 Oct 2026.

• Areas at flood risk from high water levels on the shores of Windermere
  2 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2021 3.2 km
• Rivers Brathay, Rothay and Winster and other watercourses, from Grasmere to Grange-over-Sands including low lying areas around Ambleside, Skelwith Bridge, Windermere, Hawkshead, Newby Bridge, Backbarrow, Cark and Cartmel
  232 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2026 4.2 km
• Ings Mill Caravan Park, Ings Village, areas in Staveley including Windermere Rd, Danes Cresent, Beck Nook, Station Rd, Main St, School Lane, Back Lane, Kent Drive, The Banks and Kendal Rd
  5 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Dec 2025 4.9 km
• Rivers in Ambleside, Rothay Road, Compston Road, Greenbank Road, Millans Park, Kirkfield, Fisher Beck, Loughrigg Park
  2 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2025 6.8 km
• Rivers in Ambleside, Rydal Road, Stoney Lane, Kirkfield, Fair View Road, Rothay Park, Riverside, Fisher Beck, The Borrans, Lake Road
  3 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2026 6.9 km
• Rivers Kent and Bela and other watercourses, from Kentmere to Silverdale including low lying areas around Staveley, Burneside, Kendal, Milnthorpe and Beetham
  225 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Mar 2026 9.2 km
• Commercial and residential properties adjacent to the River Kent at Burneside, Bridge Street, New Street, Steeles Row and Carling Steps
  19 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2021 9.9 km

Recorded floods near Windermere

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

• 15 Feb 2020 — Troutbeck Storm Dennis 15-02-20 Ordinary watercourse
• 9 Feb 2020 — Storm Ciara 09_02_2020 Main river
• 9 Feb 2020 — Storm Ciara Ambleside 09-02-2020 Main river
• 30 Sep 2017 — Windermere 30/09/2017 Flooding Other
• 5 Dec 2015 — Windermere (inc. Ambleside) 05_12_2015 Main river
• 5 Dec 2015 — Staveley 05_12_2015 Main river
• 5 Dec 2015 — Troutbeck Bridge 05_12_2015 Main river
• 15 Jan 2011 — Craig Walk, Windermere Flooding 15_01_2011 Main river
• 19 Nov 2009 — Windermere November 2009 Flooding Main river
• 19 Nov 2009 — Troutbeck Bridge November 2009 flooding Main river
• 19 Nov 2009 — Ambleside November 2009 flooding Main river
• 19 Nov 2009 — Bowness-on-Windermere November 2009 flooding Main river

…and 10 earlier recorded floods on the map.

Rainfall near Windermere

Windermere gets about 1,809 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 219 mm; driest April, 94 mm). That is 56% wetter 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 (3.3 km away), recorded 18.6 mm in the last 24 hours and 95.4 mm in the last 7 days (latest reading 26 min ago).

At-risk postcodes in Windermere

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

High likelihood (19)

Medium likelihood (11)

Low likelihood (17)

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.