FloodRadar
Log inCreate free account

Explore FloodRadar

Explore the map
Weather
Why ?
Home › UK Storms › Storm Barbara
Archive Cat 2 · Moderate

Storm Barbara

23–24 December 2016 · 2016-17 season · named by Met Office · Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales

▶ Replay this storm hour by hour
the rain, the rivers and the warnings on one clock, and the moments that mattered at your door
83 mphmax gust
23flood warnings & alerts (England)
A pre-Christmas storm bringing gusts up to 83mph and heavy rain mainly to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, cutting power to around 1,000 homes in Northern Ireland; primarily a wind event.

Flood footprintEnvironment Agency warning history, England · storm total

0severe warnings
1flood warnings
22flood alerts
20areas
12counties
17rivers & seas

Counted from the Environment Agency's warning record for England (22–24 December 2016). Welsh warnings are held in a separate record and are not counted here, and FloodRadar only began recording Scottish warnings on 16 September 2026 because SEPA publishes no archive. So this is England's share of the storm, not its total.

Worst-hit areas

  • North Sea Coast at Bridlington4
  • Earby Beck and Glusburn Beck Catchments1
  • Keswick Campsite1
  • Lower River Eden1
  • Middle River Eden1
  • River Calder Upper Catchment1

Counties

  • Cumberland11
  • Westmorland and Furness10
  • East Riding of Yorkshire4
  • Bradford2
  • North Yorkshire2
  • Suffolk1

Rivers & seas

  • North Sea5
  • River Eden3
  • Derwent, Stonethwaite Beck1
  • Derwentwater1
  • Glusburn Beck1
  • River Brathay, River Rothay, River Winster1

Flood mapthe storm's flood footprint

Red/amber rings mark rivers that reached or came close to their own high level during the storm — the most direct evidence of likely flooding (the gauge measures the river, not any one property). Solid dots mark each flood area's reference point, coloured by the most severe warning raised there — a warning means flooding was expected. Shaded shapes are the Environment Agency's recorded flood outlines: land actually observed flooded, published retrospectively (updated quarterly). England data only. An unshaded area means no flood was mapped here, which is not evidence none happened: the Environment Agency mapped only some floods, mapping effort rose sharply after about 2000, and surface-water flooding is largely absent from this record.

The rainstorm-total by gauge

GaugeTotal mm
Honister 125.2
Ennerdale Black Sail 121.6
Seathwaite Farm 112.6
Brotherswater 98.0
Mickleden Middle Fell Farm 97.2
Wet Sleddale 86.6
Dale Head 79.2
Thirlmere St Johns Beck 76.4
Burnbanks 71.0
Brathay Hall 70.4
High Row 63.4
Orton - Shallowford 63.0

The riverspeak vs warning level

StationPeak% of warning
Kielder Butteryhaugh · River North Tyne 1.48 m 264%
Wensor Bridge, Shelton · River Devon 4.17 m 245%
Silsden · Silsden Beck 0.19 m 178%
Woolley Bridge · River Etherow 2.84 m 172%
Whitewater Bridge · River Maun 1.35 m 169%
Sprouston · River Tweed 2.61 m 160%
Prestbury Road · Wymans Brook 0.08 m 160%
Calder Hall · River Calder 0.82 m 159%
Riseley · River Kym 1.10 m 157%
Wightwick · Smestow Brook 0.63 m 155%
Harwood · Harwood Beck 0.86 m 149%
Hynam Bridge · River Gelt 1.10 m 148%

Gauge records cover 22–25 December 2016 (the storm window ± a day). Frozen 3 Jul 2026.

← Storm Angus All UK storms Storm Conor →

FloodRadar compiles Environment Agency warning history, gauge data and public reporting. It is not an emergency service and does not replace official flood warnings — always follow official guidance during a storm.