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5.17

York Foss Barrier

Browney Dyke
Swale, Ure, Nidd and Upper Ouse catchment • York Foss Barrier • York • ID: L2472 • Level
(23m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 169 views

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Current Level
5.165 mAOD
▬ Steady
24h Max
5.203 mAOD
24h Min
5.165 mAOD
Typical Range
5.07 - 6.95
mAOD
Highest Recorded
9.24 mAOD
26 Dec 2015
Since Apr 1996
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Recent Readings

Falling · -0.8 cm over 6h
24 Aug 00:30 ▬ steady 5.165 mAOD
24 Aug 00:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 5.165 mAOD
24 Aug 00:00 ▬ steady 5.166 mAOD
23 Aug 23:45 ▬ steady 5.166 mAOD
23 Aug 23:30 ▬ steady 5.166 mAOD
23 Aug 23:15 ▬ steady 5.167 mAOD
23 Aug 23:00 ▬ steady 5.167 mAOD
23 Aug 22:45 ▼ -0.2 cm 5.167 mAOD
23 Aug 21:30 ▬ steady 5.169 mAOD
23 Aug 21:15 ▬ steady 5.169 mAOD
23 Aug 21:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 5.169 mAOD
23 Aug 20:45 ▲ +0.1 cm 5.170 mAOD
23 Aug 20:30 ▼ -0.2 cm 5.169 mAOD
23 Aug 20:15 ▲ +0.1 cm 5.171 mAOD
23 Aug 20:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 5.170 mAOD
23 Aug 19:45 ▬ steady 5.171 mAOD
23 Aug 19:30 ▬ steady 5.171 mAOD
23 Aug 19:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 5.172 mAOD
23 Aug 19:00 ▬ steady 5.173 mAOD
23 Aug 18:45 5.173 mAOD

Rainfall & Weather

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Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2011 for the 22 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 0.2 km away).

1severe warning 234flood warnings 12flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 14 Mar 2026River Ouse at York - riverside properties

Year by year
YearSevereWarningsAlerts
2026 0 10 2
2025 0 10 2
2024 0 20 5
2023 0 27 3
2022 0 8 0
2021 0 20 0
2020 0 30 0
2019 0 12 0
2018 0 13 0
2017 0 4 0
2016 0 4 0
2015 1 25 0
2014 0 6 0
2013 0 6 0
2012 0 34 0
2011 0 5 0

Warnings apply to a whole flood area, not necessarily this exact spot. Years before 2006 aren't covered by the EA's historic record. See also the York Foss Barrier flood history.

Nearby Stations

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Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: York Foss Barrier
  • Watercourse: Browney Dyke
  • Nearest Town: York Foss Barrier
  • County: York
  • Coordinates: 53°57'11"N 1°4'43"W (53.952942, -1.078715)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 31 Mar 1996
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station
  • Station Reference: L2472
  • EA Gauge ID: L2472-level-stage-i-15_min-mAOD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mAOD
  • Typical rise rate: 3 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Swale, Ure, Nidd and Upper Ouse
  • Typical Range: 5.074 – 6.953 mAOD
  • EA Cross-check: 5.17 mAOD (EA at 24 Aug 00:15)

Geographic coordinates may reflect the access point for the gauge, and not the precise location in the watercourse that it is taking readings from.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Browney Dyke at York Foss Barrier flooding today?

The current level is 5.17m, which is within the typical range of 5.07 to 6.95m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at York Foss Barrier?

Based on the most recent readings, the level is currently steady. The chart above shows the last 7 days of measurements, updated roughly every 15 minutes.

Why is the level slowly falling?

When little or no rain has fallen for a while, a river level gradually drops as the water stored in the ground and soil drains away with nothing to replace it. This is called baseflow recession and is normal in dry spells. Only about 0.0mm of rain has fallen nearby in the last 7 days, so the flow is being sustained mainly by groundwater. A gentle decline like this is expected and is not a sign of a problem — downstream gauges often recede a little faster than headwaters further upstream, and levels recover once rain returns.

What is a normal level for the Browney Dyke at York Foss Barrier?

The typical range at this station is 5.07m to 6.95m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 6.95m are higher than usually seen and may indicate a flood risk.

How often is this river level data updated?

Readings are taken by the Environment Agency gauge roughly every 15 minutes and FloodRadar refreshes its data continuously, so the level shown is normally less than an hour old.

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📮 Flood risk by postcode near this gauge

Postcodes within 5 km with properties in the Environment Agency’s rivers-and-sea flood-risk bands:

Check any UK postcode’s flood risk →

🏠 Buying or renting around here? Get the Property Flood-Risk Report for any English postcode — official risk band, floods since 1946, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off. Learn more →