Boscastle flash flood 2004

16 August 2004 · named by historic · England

▶ Replay this storm hour by hour the rain, the rivers and the warnings on one clock, and the moments that mattered at your door

89 mmpeak rainfall

Intense convective rainfall (around 89mm in an hour) over north Cornwall sent a 15-foot wall of water through Boscastle, sweeping cars, caravans and buildings out to sea and damaging around 100 properties; there were no deaths thanks to helicopter rescues, making it one of the most extreme flash floods recorded in Britain.

Flood footprintEnvironment Agency warning history, England · storm total

0severe warnings

0flood warnings

0flood alerts

0areas

0counties

0rivers & seas

This storm falls outside the Environment Agency's warning record, which runs from 2006 to 2026. There is nothing here to count — a gap in the record, not a storm without flooding.

The rainstorm-total by gauge

Gauge	Total mm
Crowford Bridge	97.0
Rosewarne	74.2
Acle	60.8
White Barrow	57.2
Bellever Dartmoor	55.0
Dartmoor	46.0
Goren	45.2
Earl Soham Gauge	42.8
Stone	42.4
Kinsford Gate	42.4
Oareford	42.0
Ennerdale Black Sail	41.2

Gauge records cover 15–17 August 2004 (the storm window ± a day). Frozen 3 Jul 2026.

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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.