Exeter Flood Risk
In Exeter, 1,376 of 74,373 properties (1.9%) are in areas at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers and the sea — at least a 1 in 100 chance in any year — per Environment Agency data updated 6 July 2026; that ranks 141st of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Exeter by flood-risk band
| Risk band | Chance of flooding each year | All properties | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 3.3% (1 in 30) or greater chance in any year | 283 | 192 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 1,093 | 938 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 8,153 | 6,355 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 100 | 80 |
1,130 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 197 are non-residential. 143 postcodes in Exeter have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Exeter
Counts are for the part of each district inside Exeter.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Exeter
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 31 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Exeter since 1950; the most recent started on 4 Feb 2014.
1950s 1 1960s 13 1970s 4 1980s 4 1990s 4 2000s 3 2010s 2
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Feb 2014 – 5 Feb 2014 | Topsham Tidal Flood | Sea | Overtopping of defences | EX3 |
| 23 Dec 2012 | Stoke Canon Flood | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX4 |
| 30 Oct 2008 | Clyst St Mary 4 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX1 EX3 EX4 |
| 1 Jan 2001 | R Exe: Unknown dates 3 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX2 EX4 |
| 30 Oct 2000 – 1 Nov 2000 | Event Exton 2 outlines | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX3 EX4 |
| 1 Dec 1993 – 31 Dec 1993 | River Exe: Pynes Waterworks 6 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX2 EX4 |
| 18 Dec 1992 – 1 Jan 1993 | Exton 5 outlines | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX1 EX3 |
| 17 Dec 1992 – 19 Dec 1992 | River Clyst: Clyst St. Mary 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX1 EX3 |
| 1 Dec 1992 – 31 Dec 1992 | River Exe: Exminster Marshes | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX3 |
| 7 Apr 1985 | River Exe: Topsham 8 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX3 |
| 27 Jan 1984 | Stoke Canon | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX4 |
| 1 Jan 1984 – 31 Jan 1984 | River Exe: Cowley Bridge 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX4 |
| 19 Dec 1983 | Cowley | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX4 |
| 1 Dec 1979 – 31 Dec 1979 | River Exe: Exwick Weir 4 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX2 EX3 EX4 |
| 10 Dec 1972 | — 2 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, main river | Obstruction/blockage - bridge | EX3 |
| 18 Jul 1972 | R.Clyst 23 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX1 EX3 |
| 26 Jan 1971 | River Exe 3 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX4 |
| 10 Dec 1968 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX2 |
| 10 Jul 1968 – 11 Jul 1968 | Woodbury | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX3 |
| 9 Jan 1968 | Woodbury Brook: Woodbury | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX3 |
| 1 Nov 1967 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX4 |
| 16 Apr 1966 | River Creedy, Troney & Yeo 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX2 EX4 |
| 19 Dec 1965 | River Clyst/Brindle Brook 25 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX3 |
| 29 Nov 1965 | River Exe event | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX4 |
| 4 Dec 1960 | River Exe 3 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX2 EX4 |
| 1 Dec 1960 – 31 Dec 1960 | River Exe: Matford Marshes and Countess Wear | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX3 |
| 1 Oct 1960 – 31 Oct 1960 | River Culm: Stoke Canon 9 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX2 EX3 EX4 |
| 30 Sep 1960 – 1 Oct 1960 | Alphin Brook 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX2 EX3 |
| 1 Sep 1960 – 30 Sep 1960 | Alphin Brook nr Ide | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX2 |
| 1 Jan 1960 – 31 Dec 1960 | River Exe 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX3 EX4 |
| 21 Nov 1950 | Exeter 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX4 |
What this page shows, and what it misses
The Environment Agency's count of properties in each postcode that sit in areas of land at very low, low, medium or high risk of flooding from rivers and the sea, allowing for flood defences and their condition, added up here by postcode district and local authority. Every property in England is counted once, so the share is of all properties in the area.
It misses: surface water (heavy rain), groundwater, sewer and reservoir flooding; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; and anything about a single building. A band describes the land a property stands on, not its floor level or flood protection, so it is not a forecast for any one home. Past floods come from the EA's Recorded Flood Outlines and are placed in the postcode district whose centre is nearest (within 12 km), so a flood near a boundary can be listed under a neighbour. Older records are patchy, and a flood with no outline is not listed.
"Exeter" means the local authority area (ONS code E07000041), not only the town centre.
If you live in Exeter
- Check your own address on gov.uk; it also covers surface water.
- Sign up for free flood warnings: gov.uk/get-flood-warnings. Floodline: 0345 988 1188.
- What is in force now: flood warnings UK · river levels.
- Never walk or drive through flood water: why shallow water kills.
FAQQuestions people ask
Is Exeter at risk of flooding?
In Exeter, 1,376 of 74,373 properties (1.9%) are in areas at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers and the sea — at least a 1 in 100 chance in any year — per Environment Agency data updated 6 July 2026; that ranks 141st of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Exeter have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district EX4 has the most: 804 properties at high or medium risk (2.5% of its properties in Exeter). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Exeter last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 31 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Exeter since 1950; the most recent started on 4 Feb 2014.
Does this include surface water flooding?
No. These counts cover flooding from rivers and the sea only. Surface water (heavy rain) flooding affects more properties in England; check it for one address on gov.uk's long-term flood risk service.
Flood risk counts: Environment Agency, Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea – Postcodes in Areas at Risk and Recorded Flood Outlines, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. All rights reserved. Some features of this information 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.
Local authority of each postcode: Office for National Statistics postcode lookup (May 2026), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. District centres and place names: postcodes.io (ONS/OS open data). Totals, ranks and grouping are Global Incident Tracker's own calculations; the Environment Agency does not endorse them.